Ep. 18: The Temple

I really thought I could bookmark this faster than the stereo.

Welcome to episode 18 of the plan. We are telling the story of the Bible from beginning to end, and we've been working on this since September. And so, we're good portion of the weigh-in last week. We told the story of David's Reign Over the Kingdom of Israel. And what we've been finding is that the whole whole story of the Bible is driven by one plot and that plot is the is the story of God's plan, to establish a Place full of people who live out their purpose in his presence, God made the world, and he put people in it, and he wants us to rule over the Earth on his behalf. And then he wants to live here with us and that's how things started. And then we messed it up. And the Bible is the story of God putting those putting that plan putting that design back into action. And that's where we know the story is going to end at this point. We are in the face of the Kingdom of Israel. So this is how God's plan is working. He is chosen one people and is giving that given them a particular place and they're supposed to rule over that place according to his law and he lives there with them and that means that other anybody else can look at Israel in there. Doing it, right and see what's happening in Israel on the way there living, and will be able to learn about God. Understand who got is from, what is Real's doing? Now we left office story during the time of David and David was a, was a star that has a very good King. He was very obedient to God much more. So than saw the first king was he obviously committed a pretty significant sin and it it caused some significant problems in Israel. But ultimately, David loyalty was to God. He didn't follow any other guys and he came back when he send and he follow God. And so God is able to use him to build his kingdom. But Saul David is going to die and his son is going to take over Solomon. Solomon, going to take over and Solomon has a particular Mission. And that's the story that we're going to tell him today. So as I read the opening section of the story, remember the coordinates that we use to keep our bearings as we read through the Bible. First of all, people, who is the story about then we watch for place. Where is their home? Presence is, how were they able to meet with God and then purposes? What has God called them to do. We want to have those points in place before we move into the rest of the story to the first three chapters of Kings. We're not going to read except for the very end because it starts off with Solomon's older brother tries to take over the kingdom before, it's David dies. And so David. Remember last, we talked about the fact that God had chosen Solomon to be the next king. So David make Solomon King while he still alive and then he tells Solomon. All right, once I die. Here's the list of people. You need to kill to hold onto power. And so is David dies and Solomon, finds a way to kill all those people. It's like a scene from The Godfather, kills all these people. And then these were people who had been undermining David during his Reign people who might take power from Solomon, basically Solomon. Well, you'll see. So we're going to read just the last verse of that section and see the results. The king gave the order to banaya Sanam jehoiada and he went out instruction my down and he died. The King was not the kingdom. Has now established in Solomon's hands. The song is King. Do we move into chapter 3, says the king went to give you and to offer sacrifices for. That was the most important. High place and Solomon. Offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. I give you in the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream. And God said, ask for whatever you want me to give you. I'm going to pause there. We're going to get our bearings. So who is this story about? About Solomon and the Israelites. The Israelites are God's people. So he's working through the Israelites. But Solomon is the anointed king. So he is a person chosen by God to lead them. So he has god-given responsibility to lead the Israelites in accomplishing God's plan. Where is there home? The home is the Kingdom of Israel and now it is truly a kingdom in our respect David. You remember from last week, David conquered, all of the Rebellion. All the Canaanite cities that were still Independence in the land of Israel. He also conquered most of the surrounding Nations and it's really an Empire that he's been able to hand Solomon, that, that is powerful. It controls. The major trade routes between two continents between Africa and Europe between Africa and Asia, and it's safe and it's prosperous. It's the high-water mark for the Kingdom of Israel in terms of their prosperity and their power. How can I meet with God? What is heart still? A little tricky? Remember the ark was captured by the Philistines and when they got it back, they didn't reunited with the Tabernacle. And the plan of the, the lot of God. Dave says, if you can meet God's Presence at the Ark in the Tabernacle. Well, right now, the ark is back in his right hands in Jerusalem because David brought it back. Okay, so that is you can actually make sacrifices at the ark and have some kind of access to God's presence there. But you may notice that when Solomon wants to have his, his first meeting with God as king, he doesn't do it in Jerusalem. He doesn't give Ian. Now, why does he go to give Ian? Well, there's actually another book that tells the same stories about the Kings from another angle is called Chronicles. And if you read the version and Chronicles, you find, the answer says Solomon. And the whole assembly went to the high place. I give Ian for God's tent of meeting. Was there, which Moses the Lord's servant in made in the wilderness. So, the ark is in Jerusalem, but the tavernacle is in gibeon. And those are both part of God's design for how is people are supposed to be able to meet with them. Now, they haven't been, they aren't the ark, isn't in the Tabernacle. Like, it's supposed to be so there in two separate places, but it seems like there are there, two places where you can get kind of imperfect access to God. Now, the last question is, what did God tell them at this point? What did God tell Solomon to do with those three things that I want to highlight here. The first one we've been made very clear over the last couple of sermons is that the Kings job is to obey God. Right. That's what we learned from Saul's Fiasco and David's victories and failures. Is it? The king is supposed to obey, God has a lot of things. So I'm going to highlight two specific things that will come up for Solomon. The first one is the specific mission that Solomon had been given by God that he spoke to David when he made the Covenant, with David at David's family, would rule over God's people forever. He says, when your days are over, he says the David and you rest of your ancestors, I will raise up your Offspring to succeed, you your own flesh and blood and I will stab was his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my name and I will stablish the Throne of his kingdom forever. So, the specific job that Solomon has been given is to build the temple.

Now there's one more thing that we need to highlight. You may remember for a few weeks. Now, we've been going back to this passage in Deuteronomy 17 that gives the laws that a that a king is supposed to follow their laws. Specifically for when Israel has a king and we've looked at most of them. But here's the last part that we haven't looked at the Kmart over must not acquire, great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt, to get more of them. For the Lord has told you, you are not to go that way. Again, you must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. You must not accumulate large amount of silver and gold. The last really important rule for us. Here is the key is not supposed to hoard. If you want to put more detail, specifically is not supposed to hold horses wives or money.

Funny on how big you, right? You may specify all those in your notes. I would not be able to fit that. But those are back to the store is having a dream where God has offered him. Any request, you can ask for anything he wants and this is a major test for Solomon's character. And we're going to see how he responds and I want you to notice. There's a certain phrase that he repeats that I've underlined that it's really important for seeing Salman's attitude as he responds to God. It says, now Lord my God, you have made your servant King in place of my father, David, but I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out. My duties. Your servant is here among the people. You have chosen, a great people too numerous to count. So give your servant a Discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong for who is able to govern this great people of yours. That was pretty much a perfect answer. The phrase that was underlined was your servant, that's what he calls himself. As he speaking to. You, also calls himself a little child, which is not accurate. He's at, he's a man, but he is, he's describing his relationship to God. He recognizes that he serves at God's pleasure that this is, these are God's people. And he is the servant of God until he wants to serve well as as you under his Lord under God, right? And so he asked for wisdom. He asked for the ability to do his job. Well, according to God's this, because that's what wisdom in the Old Testament, that word, what it means is, that means doing things basically the way they were designed to be done doing things the right way. So he wants to lead according to God's design, so solemn and ask God for wisdom to rule God's people. Well, Who do the very good request?

And God recognizes that it. So this is how we respond. The Lord is pleased. That Solomon asked for this. So God said to him, since you have asked for this and not for long life or well for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies, but for discernment in in administering Justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and Discerning heart so that there will never have been anyone like you nor will there ever be more over? I will give you what you have not asked for both wealth and honor. So that in your lifetime, you will have no equal among Kings. And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees, and commands as David, your father did, I will give you a long life. So. Acknowledge is that this was exactly the right thing to ask for. And he says, absolutely. I will give you wisdom. I'll give you more making more Discerning than anyone's ever been and because you asked for the the right thing. I'm also going to give you those things. You didn't ask for. I'm also going to make sure that your kingdom is prosperous. You're going to be wealthy. You're going to be respected, your and have all the things that a king would have asked for if they were being self-centered In This Moment. So now David has everything. A king could want. He has a peaceful Empire that his father has left him. He has wisdom to rule. Well, he has a god, makes him incredibly wealthy incredibly prosperous, and honored, and everybody respects him. And what does he do with that opportunity?

1st Kings 6. It says in the in the 480th year after the Israelites came out of Egypt in the fourth-year Solomon's Reign Over Israel in the month of ziv. The second month. He began to build the Temple of the Lord. The God gave Solomon, wisdom, wealth, and peace and Solomon. Built God a temple.

Another thing is, there is no temple in the law of Moses. The temp, the law of Moses describes the Tabernacle and so there would be a legitimate question. Is this part of God's design is this, right? Is God. If God doesn't do something to show that he's chosen the temple. It's just a building. And so there's this moment. It's the attention of kind of suspense. As they put all of the items that were it would have been in the Tabernacle and move all of that equipment into the temple. And the last thing to go into the temple is the ark. The question is, is this going, is this God is not going to honor this. So they put the Ark in the holy of holies in in the center room. And when the priests withdrew for the holy place, the cloud filled the Temple of the Lord. And the priest could not perform their service because of the cloud for the glory of the Lord, build his Temple. This was the exact same thing that happened when they put the Ark in the Tabernacle. And so this shows that. Lives in the temple now. So God has come to live in his home. And this this is taking over for the Tabernacle, which means that long period of Separation where the ark was not in God's house has ended that whole plot line. That started back with the defeat of the the Israelites at the beginning of 1st Samuel has finally been resolved. So God's presence filled the temple. I get it filled the Tabernacle and now he is restored with his people.

This is a really, really important moment in the story of the Bible. And if you keep track with the elements of the plan, then you'll see how important it is. Because let's, let's check the scores of the right. Now. The people of Israel, God's people, they all live in one place together, in in the land of Israel. The land of Israel is completely an Israelite hands and it's, it's secure and it's prosperous. So we have the people, we have the place, we have the presence of God is now fully restored among Israel and we have the wisest King who's ever lived and lived in Ministry of justice and ensuring that the people of Israel follow the live out, their purpose and follow the lot, right? We have all for the first time in the whole story. Since Eden. We have all the pieces of the plan together. Everything is working properly.

And this is the Golden Age of Israel. And you can tell there's this other story that may seem just like, maybe not all that important, but it's actually crucial for seeing what what God has achieved in Israel. This moment. Remember what God told Abraham that he was going to give blessing to the Nations and the way I've been describing that to you for 4 weeks and weeks now, is that people should be able to look at Israel and understand who got is right, you suppose, they can come to Israel, which just happens to be, on a major trade route between two continent. They come to Israel. They see what makes his real different, and it brings glory to God. They can they can do something about God. What is a story in chapter 10 of 1st Kings? Where a woman comes from a place called Shiva, which is somewhere in Saudi Arabia, but it's a long ways off. This woman is the Queen of Sheba. If she comes to is real, because she has heard about Solomon. And so she comes in with a, with a strain of, if she brings all these gifts to it, to make sure she can get an audience with this, with his King and she touched him with riddles. And he gives her a tour of his buildings and she sees a temple. And she's at, she sees this Kingdom that God has built around Solomon and this is what she says. She said to the king of the report I heard in my own country, about your achievements, in your wisdom is true, but I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes indeed. Not even half was told me and wisdom and well, if you have far exceeded, the report, I heard how happy your people must be, how happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom. Praise be to the Lord, your God who has delighted in you and place you on the throne of Israel because of the Lord's eternal love for Israel. He has made you King to maintain Justice and righteousness. I know a lot of what she says is about Solomon. The remember this Solomon as the king of God's people is supposed to be a reflection of God and what she sees and Solomon. And his kingdom is that through Solomon wisely ruling. This Kingdom. There is Justice and righteousness and she sees that that must be what the god of Israel wants. And she recognizes that this is a good place and it is, God must be a wise guy for having created a place like this. Until what's essentially Happening Here is the plan is being fulfilled on, on the scale that it can be fulfilled. At this point in the story. It is happening to people are coming to Israel. And they are seeing a kingdom that is following God, and they're seeing and seen the plan working properly. So, under solemn and God made Israel, a beacon of wisdom and righteousness to the world.

This is exactly what Israel was supposed to be doing at this stage in the story at this stage in the plan. It's not the the ultimate goal of the plant but it is, it is the goal of Israel's job, right?

but, It doesn't last.

It doesn't even last Solomon's lifetime. It doesn't even last in Solomon's heart. Even though Solomon is, is the is the wisest King who ever lived? He still Strays away from God's design, and the fact that Solomon can be tempted away means that we should all pay attention to what happened to him. Because the Temptation that he faces is a Temptation that every single one of us face. In chapter 11 songs and story changes. It says, King Solomon. However, love many foreign women moabites, and I to edomites, sidonians, and Hittites, they were from Nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites. You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods. Nevertheless Solomon held fast to them in love. He has 700 wives of Royal birth and 300 concubines and his wife has led him astray. I saw him through old is wise to his heart after other guys and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God as a heart of David. His father has been He followed ashrith, the goddess of the sidonians and Mala that detestable. Of the ammonites to Solomon, did evil in the eyes of the Lord. He did not completely. He did not follow the Lord completely as David. His father had done Taylor's oldest time, right. How many of us have a LED astray by our 700 wives and 300 concubines? Right? Like it's just classic story, right happens to all of us. We thought that the song, his downfall was his libido. I thought it was his relationship with these women. I thought he was being being pulled aside by lust. But that's misunderstanding the context of what's going on. See Solomon was not like wandering around these foreign Nations seen women that he was attracted to having meet-cutes with them and coffee shops in and marrying them. They were sent to him. As political marriages and he married them because they were representatives of those kingdoms, not because he had fallen in love with them. In fact, the word for love that is being used. Here is not romantic love. It's actually political love. It's the same word that is used to describe the way the King King Hiram of Tyre feels about Solomon and felt about David. That word for love is actually a political loyalty. Or a faithfulness to a treaty is actually what that word means. See, what would happen. If you would marry a member of the foreign Nations royal family? And that woman was basically a an ambassador. And so when she came, she was expected to be able she represented her kingdom, which means she had to continue to serve their gods with me. And she was entitled to having a place to worship as part of the terms of the treaty. And so as he form treaties, with all these different countries and he married their wives part of the treaty was that, he would give them a place to worship. And so he loved them in the sense of a following through with that commitment and giving them all places to worship and building places to worship the gods of all these different countries in Jerusalem. It wasn't in love with 700 women or 1,000. He was loyal to those commitments that he made because those built up his Empire. That's how he built. The Empire of Solomon was through all of the street at least in his mind. That's how he thought he was building this Empire. And so when it came to a question of for him, it came to this moment of I can, I can expand my power and influence by making this marriage but it requires me to break the law of God. So I have to choose between expand the Empire this way and obeying God's and he chose to expand the empire in a way that was disobedient to God when you recognize that, that's what Solomon is doing. Then you start to read back through his story and you realize that this is the climax of a trend that has been happening throughout his entire reign. We rewind to chapter 10, we noticed this little element that if you don't have Deuteronomy, memorize may not seem that important Solomon accumulated chariots and horses, get 1400 chariots and twelve thousand horses, which he kept in the Chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem. No Paws here. Remember that Chariots of The Cutting Edge of military technology. So this is like his nuclear Arsenal, his his aircraft carrier. Leave his F-22. Raptors. Like this is the guy has drones. It isn't, you know, whatever the cutting edges, that's what chariots were. So he's building up an arsenal. But where do you think you got the horses? Thomas horses were imported from Egypt in from queue. The Royal Merchant purchased them from Q at the current price. So we're really not supposed to get horses from Egypt. So noticed the trend. He's worshiping foreign gods and he's amassing Egyptian horses. Then we were wide back, a little farther. And how did Solomon build all cuz he built the tavern at the temple. He also built his this amazing Palace. How did he fill those who built those? Well first he he enslaved all the Canaanites but that wasn't enough labor Sosa. King Solomon conscripted laborers from all Israel. Thirty thousand men. He said them off to Lebanon in shifts of ten thousand a month so that they spent one month in Lebanon and two months at home. I didn't hear him was in charge of the forced-labor. No one theory is so he has to send these guys up to Lebanon to cut down the trees and bring them back in another. Maybe he had enough Canaanites. But if he sent Kane and I thought they would just they wouldn't come back as if you're a slave and you get sent away. I'm not going back, right? So he had to use his realize they'd come home. But the point is, he's enslaving Israelites know who else do we know that worships foreign gods and has Egyptian horses and enslaved Israelites. It doesn't look like David anymore. Does he? He looks like Pharaoh. In fact, if we rewind to the very beginning of the story, one little note that happened between all those Godfather killings and going to give you chapter 3 starts out this way. Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt and married his daughter. It's the first thing he actually does is King.

It's what we realize is that the entire time Solomon has been building the kingdom of God. He has also been building the Empire Solomon.

He probably didn't think of it that way.

but, At a certain point, there was us a start. So while he was building God's kingdom Solomon, started building his own Empire and for a while there, they mostly overlapped. Right. It was God's plan to bless Solomon to give him a strong wealthy Empire and into stable Rule and all these things that Solomon also wanted for himself, but then there came up, there came a moment and then another one and then more and more moments. When Solomon self-interest diverged, from God's kingdom, the interest of God's kingdom, and he had to make a choice each time. And more and more often, solemnly, the choice that built the Empire that he wanted. You made the treaties that he thought would give him that kind of influence. He wanted you married the women from the kingdom that he wanted to be on good terms with where he can get the best deals for 4, you know, commercial deals and the best tariffs and then whatever it was and eventually he was completely absorbed by this this All these gods that it brought into the kingdom. And the complete me. He was enslaved. I don't know that he was ever really. Then, why did he worship these other guys? I don't think it was because he found them more appealing than the god of Israel. I think it was because he got sucked into this. He was committed to building up his alliances this way and he he would do whatever it took to build the Empire of Solomon.

Just like God responded, very well to Solomon's wisdom and the beginning of his Reign. He responds very negatively to Solomon disobeying and building his own Empire. The Lord said this to Solomon since it this is your attitude and you have not kept my Covenant to my decrees, which I commanded you. I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates. Nevertheless for the sake of David, your father. I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son did. I will not tear the whole Kingdom from him, but we'll give him one. Try for the sake of David. My servant for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen. So there's a little bit of a spoiler for next week, but he's going to split the kingdom into a northern kingdom in the southern Kingdom and immediately that Empire is going to disintegrate because those two warring factions can't hold on to the Empire of David. And so it's all going to fall apart. And what you're going to be left with his two, little stub kingdoms that will never again regain the prominence of David and Solomon.

Because God is not going to let them build their empire on the back of his kingdom. And so the king but God is still going to honor the Covenant. And so there will be a son of David on the throne in the tribe of Judah. But Judah will never be capable of building an empire. Like what Solomon had the god determined to break up the Empire break up Solomon's Empire while still honoring his promise David.

And unfortunately, this, this President, the solemn and his set is going to continue through generations of Kings because we've now had David. Who is the the obedient King that God wanted? That God chose. That's what it means to be. The one man after God's Own Heart and he failed, we have Solomon the wisest King who ever lived and he failed and he built his own kingdom and and the succeeding Generations are going to follow the same pattern that we're going to see throughout the next few sermon. And we're never again going to get to this place this Golden Age. Apparently, there's something needs to change in people. How many is a change in us to make that plan possible? This is where we really begin to see, it's not going to work just by God, giving us opportunities. He needs to change it.

Nozzle, reflect on the story. What does it have to do with us today? Right. None of us are Kings. None of us have Empires. None of us are being tempted to form alliances through marriage with foreign kingdoms, but we are each of us entrusted with authority with influence. Whatever God has given you. He's giving you for a purpose and he wants you to use that influence use that power, use, whatever. He's giving you according to his will. And so, as we are entrusted with that we can learn from Solomon's, good example, and bad example. The first thing that I want to highlight from the story is that human beings are constantly tempted to build our own empires of happiness and success. Actually, I ate this morning. I thought I shouldn't have used the word tempted in this one. Because we are we are building our own empires of having system says. I'm not saying that it's wrong for us to be putting our lives together in such a way that we have stabilized. The real to provide for our families that were able to have a college fund for our kids. And that we are, we are doing things to make our life stable and to provide for our families, but we are constantly doing that, right? We're constantly making decisions that that Orient our lives in a way that we could be happy that we can be successful. Everybody has that as a goal. Right? And so that, that directs most of our decisions

A lot of times that as we're doing, I mean, God, God wants what's best for us. And so, a lot of that falls in line with his plan, but the problem is that those Empires always tempt us away from God's kingdom, because we will always face a point where we have to make a decision between a obeying God and building our own Empire, our own way. I mean, the simplest, most obvious example, would be that if you wanted to be the most wealthy that you can be, you would not give money to a church, or a charity or to the needy, right? And so when you have an opportunity to give to others, you're facing the decision. Am I going to am I going to invest in my own Prosperity? Or am I going to invest in the kingdom of God? And that's a very simple example. But it happens to us all the time in terms of the way we choose to, and what we choose to be our careers or the way we choose to invest in relationships on sometime. You know, God probably wants you to invest in relationships, that, that may take some work, you know, you may have to go outside of your comfort zone or you may have to spend time that you could have spent, Benji, binge-watching something at home or, you know, that kind of think there are a lot of things that God calls us to do that, would build his kingdom and may not immediately contribute to the Empire. I want to build up my own happiness and my own Prosperity, my own success and those moments are the moments when we have to decide what we're going to build who were going to serve. Do we really have to decide? What is the purpose of Our Lives? Because more and more. What we are told in the world is that our lives are measured by how happy we can be. The life is measured by how happy you can, be how successful you can be, how prosperous you can be.

That that is what should govern all of our decisions. What makes you happy. What do you want to do? What will end and we have to decide. Is that really what our lives are about? Because the message that the Bible teaches in the story, The Bible teaches is very different from that. There's a book that is incredibly challenging but also incredibly rewarding call the crazy ass tease. And in that in the majority of that book is told Through The Eyes of Solomon as a character, as a great example of someone who faced this issue. And here's what Solomon says about looking back on everything that he accomplished in building his own Empire. I denied myself. Nothing my eyes desired. I refused my heart. No pleasure. My heart took the light in all my labor and it was, this was the reward for all my toil yet. When I surveyed all that my hands are done and what I had toiled to achieve. Everything was meaningless a chasing after the wind. Nothing was gained under the sun.

There's a sense of emptiness throughout this book that that the idea of achieving all of these, these goals of personal happiness, and success in, and all these things, that they accomplish nothing more than that, that the ultimately their empty. And this isn't to say that everybody who's rich and selfish will die miserable. I bet there are a lot of Rich selfish people who are happy when they know. They're, they're content with the way they live. Their lives. All the way to the very end. But that is to say that, even though they were happy. That life was not fulfilled. That life was not what it was meant to be, just because it was wealthy and it is not necessarily better than the life of a much poorer person.

Because the conclusion of that book, Read this way. Now, all has been heard here is the conclusion of the matter, fear, God and keep his Commandments. For this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment including every hidden thing whether is good or evil. The ending of the story tells us that God is going to look at every life. And I'm not sure that the point here is for you to be afraid of of bad judgment and Damnation. I think it's more for you to realize that there is a higher standard by which your life is judged, then simply how you felt about it and how happy you were. That your life is designed with a purpose. It was made by a person by God with a, he has a a will for you. He designed you to fulfill a function. And he's going to look at your life and see whether whether it serve that function.

It's what that tells us is that we're not creatures designed for pleasure. We are creatures of purpose. We are fulfilled by serving, God not ourselves.

And so that means that you're the best life. You can live may not be the one full of the most short-term happiness and may not be the one with the biggest bank account at the end or the nicest toys at the end or the most friends at the end. That you were made for a purpose.

But I don't want to say this as a source of guilt or a source of feeling empty because that's that's how Ecclesiastes really feels. But if there can be a profound sense of emptiness as you read, Ecclesiastes, but that's because I quit the emptiness of Ecclesiastes points us to the Future. In the Bible, it points us to the piece that is missing in Ecclesiastes. It points us toward Jesus.

Because when Jesus describes what he offers us, he offers us. A life of a filling God's purpose. That's when he offers us the kingdom of God. He offers us a life of fulfilling that purpose in. Here's how he describes his mission. He says, I have come that they might have life and have it to the full.

That's actually different than what you have in your bulletin. I changed it. So you may want to Change that, you want to remember it. He said I have come that they may have life and have it to the full because when we live God's purpose, that is the life you were made. For when God knit, you together, everything he gave you every Talent. Every skill, every Quirk, everything he gave, you was intentional. And he had a purpose for you. And that purpose was to build his kingdom, where he's put you. And it's not always going to be easy. but the important things off and aren't the fulfilling things off and aren't and what we learn. As we follow God's designs, we can actually live without a lot of the things that we Chase in our lives. I have to continually reminding myself. If I don't buy that thing, I'll be fine. If I lose those possessions. I'll be fine as much as I'm trying. Not to think that way. But what will truly fulfill me? In this life is to live, the life. God has called me to. And when it comes to Eternity.

Imagine how for filling it is to live, God's wife. There's no comparison because that's the only real life that's available to us. The other side of Glory is the life God has called us to the Jesus. Invites us to follow him and become exactly what we were made to be. Because as we give our lives to him, he can change us. He can make us into people who can follow that calling. He offers us something to Solomon and David didn't have salvation transformation through the Holy Spirit. Hope that we can be who God has called us to be and that hope is available to you today. So as we as we close, I want you to consider. What decision God has put in front of you? Every time we hear the gospel to hear the word of God, we have an opportunity to respond. And there are a lot of ways you could respond, but I'm going to mention a couple of the one thing that could be before you today is the decision to give your life to Jesus. Maybe you've never committed to the mission that he has to be the plan that he has for you. Today is the best day to do that. Maybe you have given your life over to him. Maybe you have surrendered your Empire. But you find yourself trying to pick the pieces of it back up, trying to go back to go to a maybe you need to give your life back to God. Today is a great day to rededicate your life to God. Maybe you need a group of people who will come alongside you and help you in that Journey. That's what our small groups are for. We love for you to sign up for a small group. So you can check that box in our connect card you and also check the box for a service team. If you want an opportunity to give back to to the church or to the community, a way to serve others. If I leave you want to be part of a body of Believers that are dedicated to building God's kingdom. And to surrendering Andre surrendering the empires that we build. That's who we seem to be as a church. We are people who come together to serve God, and to build his kingdom and to surrender our Empires as often as we need to.

If you want to be a part of us, you can place your membership with us. So you can use your connect card to sign up for connect class where we'll get together over some food and talk about who the church is and how you can be a part of it. Trying to buy you to consider what choices. God may be calling you to make what steps may be calling you to take as we stand and saying our final song.