00:00 Introduction and Banter

00:37 Skydiving and Listener Interaction

01:45 The Importance of Prayer

04:14 Daily Bible Reading: First Kings

04:34 Solomon's Temple Construction

08:24 The Significance of Worship Spaces

16:00 Future Hope and Revelation

17:22 Conclusion and Farewell

Hey, it's uh, I said I was going to do

that, but every once in awhile it's okay.

2

But anyways, What, what day is today?

3

It's Tuesday, Tuesday, June 11th.

4

2024 and the year of our

Lord in the year of our Lord.

5

And you're back and you're with us

and we're still recording and we

6

still have no timer on our podcast.

7

Well for now, Robert.

8

Um, I'm confident.

9

They're going to put one back.

10

I have faith, Mr.

11

Descript, if you were listening to this.

12

We need one back, please.

13

And thank you.

14

Yeah.

15

Close to NEC we've got a

couple more days coming.

16

Yep.

17

This is exciting.

18

It is.

19

Yeah.

20

Yeah.

21

Also we're halfway

through the year almost.

22

It's a June.

23

June.

24

Yeah, that's true.

25

Right.

26

2024.

27

Yeah, he's nearing its completion.

28

Your birthday's almost coming.

29

So what do you think.

30

Which, by the way, I know our people

listened to the podcast because a lot

31

of people keep coming up to me and.

32

Everybody's asking me.

33

Everybody's been asking multiple

people have offered gift

34

certificates to skydive and.

35

And I miss count skydive.

36

I have.

37

Vehemently, turn them all down.

38

Well vehemently.

39

Okay, well, we'll see.

40

We'll see, it never say never as the same.

41

If you want to go

skydiving, I'm happy for it.

42

Like, I will cheer you on, I will

show up at the ground when you land.

43

Hopefully with a parachute.

44

Hmm.

45

Yeah.

46

Come on.

47

You never know.

48

But I just, I'm not there.

49

Maybe you will be there though.

50

People are praying.

51

People praying, everybody's

praying you, you said the.

52

I've been asking a heart of

the king is like a stream of

53

water in the hand of the Lord.

54

He moves it wherever he wills.

55

Right.

56

The heart of the king.

57

Well, anyone in leadership, you

applied it to the president.

58

So anyone in leadership, right?

59

It's like a stream of water

in the hand of the king.

60

And maybe people are praying to the

real king of Kings to move your heart.

61

Church.

62

But if I can ask you not to pray

that God would change my heart about

63

jumping out of an airplane, I would

really greatly appreciate that.

64

All right.

65

Great other things for me.

66

Right, right.

67

Yeah.

68

I need prayer.

69

Yeah, I was thinking about that recently.

70

That's one of our distinctives.

71

We have a genuine reliance on prayer.

72

And man, I want to be

better at praying than I am.

73

And, uh,

74

I think that's true for everybody.

75

It's so easy to fall parade.

76

No pun intended wow.

77

To fall prey to this mindset that

like, we're just doing it on our own.

78

Like We've got this.

79

We show up, we do it.

80

And especially when you

have a busy schedule.

81

Especially when you have a busy schedule

and yet how counterintuitive is that?

82

That in ministry.

83

We can somehow feel like, well,

we're doing it on our own.

84

We're studying we're, we're prepping,

we're digging into the text where.

85

We're preparing the sermon and, and yet.

86

We just need to be bathing it in prayer.

87

No matter what you're doing,

whether you're in ministry or not.

88

If you're out making widgets for a

living, you need to be praying about

89

those widgets that you're making.

90

Um, praying about your relationships,

praying about your family.

91

And I know.

92

Uh, paralyzing thought

is where do I begin?

93

How do I start that, man?

94

I don't pray.

95

Often enough, or I don't

pray as much as I would.

96

Like how can I grow in prayer?

97

I think being intentional about categories

of prayer is a great place to start.

98

St.

99

Okay.

100

I want to pray for my family.

101

I want to pray for my,

uh, my pastor skydiving.

102

Hosters.

103

Yeah.

104

I want to pray for my community group.

105

I want to pray for my job.

106

So create bucket lists and have

people to pray for and write them

107

out and write them down and go

through those on a regular basis.

108

And then add to those as you go.

109

And before too long, you'll have

a bucket for Monday and a bucket

110

for Tuesday and a bucket for

Wednesday and so forth and so on.

111

You're gonna have plenty

of things to pray for it.

112

There's plenty of things

out there to pray for.

113

So if you're sitting there

going, how do I begin?

114

Where do I even start with that?

115

Start small.

116

Don't feel like you have to conquer

Rome in a day, but, but identify

117

some categories in your life that

you want to begin praying for.

118

Write down some requests in each of those

categories and begin to just sit down.

119

In the morning with your cup of

coffee, with your Bible, whatever it

120

is, and, and pray for those things.

121

Pray for those people pray for those.

122

Uh, those items and that's going to be a

good way to start developing that habit.

123

Yeah.

124

B.

125

Bok that it's imperfect.

126

None of us praise perfectly.

127

None of us has the formula figured

out and it's not a formula.

128

I think that's part of the problem

is that we think wrongly about it.

129

So pray, but just be okay that it's

going to be imperfect to be okay.

130

That you're, you're kind of.

131

Some days it's going to feel like you're

tracking through mud and that you're just

132

struggling to each sentence and phrase it.

133

That's okay.

134

Uh, everyone goes through that and

there are seasons where it's better

135

and easier and there's seasons where

it's worse and it's much harder.

136

That's okay.

137

Keep at it.

138

Well, let's jump into the

daily Bible reading for today.

139

Joe.

140

I'm not making any promises,

but I'm sensing maybe a little

141

bit of a shorter episode today.

142

We'll see about that.

143

Yeah.

144

Don't say that you're writing checks with

your mouth, that your life can't cash.

145

Pastor PJ.

146

Isn't it.

147

Okay, well, either way, Hey,

first Kings five and six, we're

148

shifting back away from Proverbs.

149

And now we're back in the historical

narrative of, uh, first Kings were still

150

in Solomon's reign and Solomon in chapter

five is making preparations to, to get

151

the temple built and to get it done.

152

And so Solomon takes advantage of

a good relationship that his father

153

had made with the king of tire.

154

This guy named Hiram.

155

And, uh, secures the Cedar that he would

need for the building of the temple in

156

exchange for this yearly supply that he's

going to provide Hiram of wheat and oil.

157

So here's some of Solomon's shrewdness

uh, in, in, in, at work here in saying,

158

okay, these are the things that I need

in order to have this temple built.

159

A tire has ample supply of these things.

160

So I'm going to reach out to my

contact there that I've got through

161

David David passed on his Rolodex

to Solomon and Solomon hit him up

162

and said, Hey, I need some Cedar.

163

Yeah, I've got some wheat and oil.

164

Why don't we do a little exchange and,

and we can make this thing happen.

165

So chapter five is.

166

That's a lot of the focus of on

chapter five is this relationship

167

that he has with, with, uh, Hiram.

168

Yeah.

169

And I guess one important feature

here is that, uh, Um, I'm looking here

170

for the verse, cause I don't have it

highlighted in my Bible for some reason.

171

And chapter five, you have Solomon

conscripting service in servants.

172

So at verse 13, Solomon drafted,

forced labor out of all Israel.

173

This is what I was looking for and

the draft number 30,000 minutes.

174

So just notice here.

175

Yeah, Solomon is using Israelites

for labor and for service.

176

Now, the interesting thing here is that

in a few chapters, it's going to say

177

that Solomon didn't enslave anybody.

178

So this isn't technically enslaving

because they actually are still

179

free and they're only serving.

180

Uh, once every, I think three

months is what they're doing.

181

So at the end of the day here,

they're not enslaved and they're

182

not slave per, uh, perpetually.

183

At least Israel.

184

Uh, it is not going to be

the case for the, uh, the

185

foreigners who live among them.

186

All the EITs right.

187

The Canaanites.

188

Uh, being the primary grouping there.

189

So FYI, as you see this year, their

forced labor is some is realized,

190

but that's not permanent temporary.

191

And the permanent.

192

Uh, the permanent labor

is going to be the EITs.

193

Yeah.

194

And yeah, exactly.

195

That's helpful.

196

Uh, clarification there because

otherwise it seems like this is

197

not a, this is not a good thing.

198

It's technically not legal.

199

Right.

200

Right.

201

First king six.

202

In the 480th year after the people of

Israel came out of the land of Egypt.

203

Fourth year of Solomon's reign

of Israel in the month of Ziv,

204

which is the second month he began

to build the house of the Lord.

205

We're looking here at nine at 66 BC.

206

So this is an important time marker for us

9 66 BC, almost a thousand years, just shy

207

of a thousand years before the birth of

Christ is the, the building of the temple

208

that the inauguration of the temple.

209

And we know this because of the.

210

The 480th year after the people of Israel

come out of the land of Egypt, our ability

211

to, to date Solomon's fourth year gives

us added confidence in the date of the

212

Exodus, which we talked about way earlier

this year, when we were going through

213

that about 1446, BC would be the date of

the Exodus that would lead us to this.

214

Uh, 9 66 BC date here in first

Kings chapter six, verse one.

215

Very cool.

216

As we get into some of the dimensions

here, we've got these, these cubits that

217

are made the house that king Solomon

built for the Lord was 60 cubits,

218

long, 20 cubits, wide, 30 keepers high.

219

So this works out to about 90

feet by 30 feet by 45 feet.

220

So 90 by 30 by 45, 90

long, 30 wide, 45 high.

221

So it's quite an impressive edifice.

222

So how large is that?

223

Like give us a, is there a comparison,

like a, like a fast food restaurant?

224

I don't.

225

I don't know if there is.

226

So think about it this way.

227

45 feet high that's a four

and a half story building.

228

Um, Uh, stories about 10 feet.

229

Give or take dirty.

230

Yeah.

231

And then a 90 foot long building.

232

That's 30 yards.

233

That's a third of a football.

234

Well, almost a third of a

football field, just shy of a

235

third of a football field long.

236

So it's, it's substantive there for sure.

237

Uh, it's it's skinny, 10 feet wide or

30 feet wide is not a not super wide.

238

But, uh, the, the length of

it in the height especially

239

is, is something to behold.

240

Yes.

241

And that's the cool thing here that.

242

Pardon me, pardon me?

243

Certainly not all of me really wishes

that we had something like this

244

to convey the, the majesty of God.

245

We don't have this anymore.

246

And obviously, because we don't,

we have, we have churches today.

247

And of course we all go to

church, but it's not the same.

248

We're not saying that the

presence of God is in the church.

249

That's not the case.

250

At least the building, the

presence of God is in the church.

251

The people that's different, but that's

what the temple was meant to point toward.

252

So today we don't have this.

253

And so we, we, we might

lose a sense of the.

254

The exalted nature of God, the majesty of

God, because we don't have an annoying.

255

Ornate building that gives us a

sense of otherness that God would.

256

That God would have otherwise

conveyed through the temple.

257

But we do have is the word of God.

258

We have the spirit of God in our hearts.

259

We are the temple of the living.

260

God Peter says, and that

creates a different experience.

261

It's our responsibility then to

bring that sense of holy awareness

262

to who God is in our everyday lives.

263

And we have to fight for that.

264

Cause we don't have the temple.

265

Yeah.

266

And yet it, and so one of the

things that we're doing, my family

267

and I on vacation, we're going

out to DC and we're going to stop.

268

National cathedral that's there.

269

Wow.

270

Which unfortunately is not.

271

It is not preaching a biblical gospel.

272

You should jump in the pool

hazard for a long time.

273

Let's get to it.

274

Opened up your Bible.

275

Get started, right.

276

But one of the things that we were talking

about, my wife and I were recently, as

277

we're excited about that for the teaching

opportunity for our kids, because they've

278

never seen anything like this before

to step foot inside of a cathedral.

279

I remember I got to go to your church.

280

Um, back in, in high school.

281

And I remember specifically in Barcelona,

there's a, uh, a grand cathedral.

282

That's still unfinished.

283

That was started many,

many, many decades ago.

284

And it's still unfinished in there

still working it, but it's impressive.

285

And you see it and you're just

in awe you think of some of the

286

other great cathedrals of history.

287

And the reason why churches.

288

We're originally built as cathedrals

was this what we see right here,

289

they were trying to capture the awe

and the grandeur and the majesty

290

and the beauty and the glory of

God in the edifice that they built.

291

And so that was part of it.

292

And so one of the things that, that.

293

I started to noodle over.

294

Building the cathedral for compass Bible.

295

I would love to, we're going to find

a granite quarry and just start.

296

Human stones.

297

All right.

298

No, but how do we capture it?

299

Cause that's a good sentiment to

have, to, to want our place of

300

worship, to reflect the glory and

majesty and excellence of God.

301

And we talk about it with our

setup team quite often, but not

302

everybody's on our setup team, right.

303

When you show up to

church and they should be.

304

They should be.

305

When you show up to church and you come

up to the rows of chairs and you see

306

that those rows of chairs look like

they're spaced pretty evenly apart.

307

Y'all need to know that

that's that's intentional.

308

And that there's a lot of of

thought that goes behind that.

309

We have somebody on our setup

team, Brian Peterson, who came up

310

with kind of a measuring tool and

everything else to, to make sure that

311

those chairs are placed precisely.

312

Um, and it's not just two.

313

Uh, to pacify those with OCD it's because

we want to do things with excellence.

314

You know, there's a reason why.

315

We have the instruments that

we have on stage and that the

316

backdrop that we have on stage.

317

And there's a reason why when

we can find the keys, we.

318

Try to raise the basketball goals because

we want our space to be excellent.

319

We want it to, to, to as

much as we possibly can.

320

Reflect the beauty and the glory

and the power and the creativity of

321

the God that we worship and serve.

322

And so we do things with excellence and.

323

You know, sometimes people push back

on that on some churches and say, well,

324

why, why are you spending money on this?

325

Why aren't you doing this instead?

326

And I think there's a balance, but I

do think that there's something to the

327

point that we should give attention

to his beauty and his grand urine.

328

And we can do what we can to

try to reflect that in the

329

building that we worship.

330

And the fact that God not only tolerates

it, but in some way, endorses it.

331

And Solomon's reign is evidence of

the fact that God is okay with us,

332

that he wants us to decorate the place

where, and granted this is different.

333

I understand that we're not talking about

the same thing when we erect churches.

334

This is the temple of God.

335

This is the symbol of his

presence among Israel.

336

So I understand that, but that shows that.

337

God's okay with this.

338

God's okay with us, giving him a proper.

339

I don't know.

340

A proper sense of, we were

aware that you are grand you're.

341

Holy you're exalted.

342

I mean, th the sources, the resources

that Solomon uses Hughes the best.

343

It's gold upon gold and everything

is covered in gold and, and he,

344

and the chair of beam they're

they're facing one another.

345

They're massive.

346

And it just shows.

347

The grand jury and the glory of God.

348

And that's a good thing.

349

We should not shy away

from that kind of prospect.

350

As we look at the church today,

probably one of the biggest problems

351

that most of our churches suffer with

is having a very low view of God.

352

This is what Tozer said

decades ago, right?

353

That the biggest problem we have

today is that we have a low view of

354

God and consequently, our churches

become anemic and they become

355

weak and they don't fulfill the

obligations that God gives them.

356

Again, we're not talking

about building temples here.

357

We're just saying, putting ourselves in

a place where our awareness of who God

358

is and how great he is, is reflected

in the places that we do worship.

359

Yeah.

360

If this subject peaks your interest

at all, I would come in a book by you

361

to you by a guy named Daniel block.

362

And it's called for the glory of God.

363

And he talks in this book about a

theology of worship, and he really digs

364

into a lot of this stuff, including.

365

Even some of the physical design

of the, these cathedrals and

366

why they were designed the way

they were and how they were.

367

A lot of them were laid out in a cross

form and there, there was thought

368

intention behind the architecture of

these buildings and what it communicated

369

about the God that we worship and serve.

370

So.

371

Uh, next time you, you drive by

a massive cathedral or, or large

372

church or something like that.

373

Give thought to.

374

You know, this isn't just about,

Hey, look at us, we've got money

375

and we can build these things.

376

Sometimes this was done as an

expression of worship and devotion,

377

and it was done with an intentionality

that I feel like we have been.

378

Uh, we've been robbed of a little bit

in our modern kind of, you know, Walmart

379

style church buildings that we have Which,

by the way, we would love to have one.

380

Don't get me wrong.

381

We'll take the Walmart.

382

That's great.

383

The presenter.

384

Yeah, that's fair.

385

But.

386

But there is something that was

commendable and an in a little bit

387

of a deeper experience that was

had when you walked into church.

388

And there was meaning behind

the architecture, even at the

389

churches, you stepped into it.

390

So one of the things you see here in

verse 12 is that God says, look concerning

391

this house that you're building.

392

If you walk in my statutes and obey

my rules and keep all my commandments.

393

Uh, keep all my commandments

and walking them.

394

Then I will establish my word with you,

which I spoke to David, your father.

395

And I will dwell among the children of

Israel and I will not forsake my people.

396

You see the covenants

coming to the surface here.

397

So there's the building itself

is great and God approves it,

398

but it's not the end all be all.

399

This does not mean that God will

forever be in this building or that

400

his presence will be represented here.

401

The conditions are still active.

402

The covenant is still firm and God

is warning Solomon and encouraging

403

him to it to, uh, to a greater

degree to, Hey, make sure that you

404

follow my path and continue my way.

405

And if so, things will go well, sadly,

I don't know that Solomon hears this.

406

Yeah.

407

Uh, by the way, the second Chronicles

readings that we have in chapters

408

two and three really parallel, a

lot of what we're going through in,

409

in first Kings five and six here

without much additional detail there.

410

Um, But, but here's what, what really

strikes me about all of this and in.

411

Uh, go back to the wilderness

wanderings wandering.

412

And you had the tabernacle, right?

413

And you had the Ark of the covenant

and you had, uh, God would meet

414

with Moses in the tabernacle.

415

And then you've now you've got the

temple and God's glory is going to

416

take up residence in the temple.

417

There's something tragic about

all of this, because even

418

though, yes, God is there.

419

He's going to choose that to be

the dwelling place of his glory.

420

Earthly speaking.

421

Uh, with his people, he's going

to be with his people and yet.

422

He's still separated from them.

423

Because the holy of Holies has to

be erected and the curtain has to be

424

made and there has to be the rules and

regulations about when the priest was

425

able to enter into the holy of Holies.

426

And when he was not allowed to

enter the holy of Holies in there.

427

Th th th the common man couldn't enter

in and in be in the presence of God.

428

So God is with his people

and yet not with his people.

429

And so I want you to think about

that when we read about in the

430

future in revelation chapter 21.

431

Where the, the statement is made.

432

I will be their God and they

will be with me as their people.

433

I will be with them.

434

It says as their God,

that is the first time.

435

Since the garden, the garden of Eden.

436

That, that has been, that

that will be a full reality.

437

We experienced the presence of God, but

only in part, even as the church right

438

now, we experienced the presence of God

as the spirit dwells in every believer.

439

But we don't experience the fullness

of the presence of God, because

440

again, we still have vestiges of sin.

441

We still have the flesh that lingers here

that prevents the fullness of the glory

442

of God from dwelling with us as people.

443

But there will be a day.

444

And that day is yet future

when we will be in his presence

445

and the temple isn't there.

446

In fact, that's what John

says in revelation, because.

447

The temple is Christ.

448

The temple is the fullness

of the glory of God.

449

And we are there in the presence of God.

450

So be reminded as you think about and

read about in the temple and all of the

451

activities that take place in the temple.

452

That there there's something

bittersweet about this.

453

It's sweet in the sense that

yes, this is a place where God is

454

dwelling with his people, but the

bitter is still there because he

455

can't fully dwell with his people.

456

There has to be that separation still.

457

Right?

458

Not everybody can enter

the holy of Holies.

459

Right.

460

But in Christ, we all possess

the holy of Holies in ourselves.

461

That's that's.

462

Jaw-dropping.

463

Crazy mind blowing reality.

464

The holy of Holies exists

within each believers.

465

Yeah.

466

Well, thanks for sharing

your Bibles with us today.

467

Keep reading your Bibles.

468

And tune in again for another episode

of the daily Bible reading podcast.

469

Thing tomorrow.

470

Yes.

471

Bible reading podcast.

472

We'll see you guys then.

473

Bye.