Introduction: In the O.T. the temple served as the place of God’s dwelling: His Presence. Now, I realize in the N.T., God’s dwelling is in the believer.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
With this in mind, my body is a sanctuary, the holy of holies, where God dwells; therefore, I am to glorify God. This is not only my ultimate purpose, but that is the teaching of both O.T. and N.T. truth for the body of Christ.
In 2 Chronicles 7:14, our Lord laid down the conditions of obedience for the people of God to enjoy His blessings and favor.
2 Chronicles 7:14, “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
1. Demotion of Self
“Humble themselves”:
Humility – to bend the knee:
Leonard Ravenhill said, “The church is dying on its feet because it will not live on its knees.”
2. DEVOTION TO PRAY
“Pray”: To judge self habitually
3. DESIRING FOR GOD
“Seek My Face”: Longing for God
4. DEDICATION TO GOD
“Turn from your wicked ways” Holiness
This passage expresses stipulations to experience God’s blessings.
In v.15 the Lord answers Solomon’s prayer after the completion of God’s house.
2 Chronicles 7:15, “Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place.”
NOTE: 2 Chronicles 6:20, 40 (Read)
Following this answered prayer, the Lord promises three things to Solomon that has become my prayer for us.
I. HIS AUTHORITY. 16
“that my name may be there forever” – name implies authority; character, rank, majesty, excellence; of anything that name covers.
1 Chronicles 22:6-7, “Then he called for his son Solomon, and charged him to build a house for the LORD God of Israel. And David said to Solomon: ‘My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build a house to the name of the LORD my God.'”
The temple was to be built for the “Name of the Lord,” which means more than His reputation or honor, it means for His person. Specifically, God’s “name” stood for the glory-cloud of His presence in the temple. When the scripture teaches that He will put His name there, it speaks of His person.
QUESTION: What are we to do with His name?
“We wear His name”
A. GLORIFY HIS NAME.
Psalms 86:9, “All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, and shall glorify Your name.”
Referring to the future Messianic reign
Revelation 15:4, “Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, for Your judgments have been manifested.”
Psalms 86:12, “I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and I will glorify Your name forevermore.”
To glorify is to express the greatness; to adore, honor, respect, reverence, splendor, to boast; to exalt.
“glory” – primarily signifies an opinion; honor resulting from a good opinion (Vines Expository Dictionary of N.T. Words) Word is used in ascriptions of praise to God. Doxologies (glory-works)
1. FOR WHO HE IS.
Of the nature and acts of God in self-manifestation, for example, what He essentially is and does as exhibited in whatever way He reveals Himself in these respects, and particularly in the Person of Christ, in whom essentially His glory has ever shown forth and ever will do.
John 17:5, “And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.”
Jesus looked past the cross and asked to be returned to the glory that he shared with the Father before the world began.
John 12:41, “These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him.”
This ties Jesus to God of the O.T.
John 8:58, “Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”
Here Jesus used the name referred to in Exodus 3:14, “I AM WHO I AM” – points to His self-existence and eternality. “I am the One who is/will be.”
John 17:24, “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.”
Someday we will see His glory and share it.
Hebrews 1:3, “who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”
Jesus radiates God’s glory
2. FOR WHAT HE DID.
In John 2:11 both His grace and His power are manifested and these constitute His glory
John 2:11, “This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.”
In John 11 we see the glory of God displayed in Lazarus’ death.
John 11:4, “When Jesus heard that, He said, ‘This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.'”
John 11:40, “Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?'”
In Romans 6 the Bible teaches that it was the “glory of the Father” who gave us new life
Romans 6:4, “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”
In 2 Peter we see the Father bestow glory to the Son in the Transfiguration.
2 Peter 1:17, “For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.'”
3. FOR WHAT HE DID FOR US.
Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Glory speaks of the manifested perfection of His character
Ephesians 1:6, “To the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved.”
Salvation is to the glory of God. He made it possible by making a way to be accepted through His death. “Praise of the glory to His grace”
Ephesians 1:12-14, “that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.”
Praise of the glory signify the acknowledgement of the display of His attributes and His ways.
“Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heav’n-ly host;
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.”
Paul makes it clear that God is to be glorified.
2 Corinthians 4:6, “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
To be saved God has to show us who Jesus is; He gives the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Romans 8:18, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”
The state of blessedness into which believers are to enter hereafter through being brought into the likeness of Christ.
B. GO IN HIS NAME.
Psalms 96:3, “Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples.”
Revelation 7:9-10, “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!'”
Acts 4:12, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
II. HIS ATTENTION. 16
A. HE SEES US.
“My eyes”
Psalms 32:8, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.”
2 Chronicles 16:9a, “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him…”
These passages speak of instruction, teaching, guiding, and loyalty.
“Somebody’s Praying”
“Somebody’s praying, I can feel it,
Somebody’s praying for me;
Mighty hands are guiding me, to protect me from what I can’t see,
Lord, I believe, Lord, I believe
Somebody’s praying for me.
Somebody’s praying for me.”
B. WE MUST SEE OTHERS AS HE SEES US.
Matthew 9:36, “But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.”
The humility of Jesus Christ expressed compassion toward sinners displaying His attitude.
III. HIS AFFECTION. 16
“my heart” – concern; affection
No one ever cared for me like Jesus. Nothing concerns me that does not concern Him. The heart of God reveals the love of God.
1 John 4:10-11, “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”
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