Give God His Seat

The next nine post will be based on the sermon I preached yesterday and last Wednesday. I feel God saying that this message is very critical to Christianity today. Now, I realize that I have not found something new in the Bible, but I do believe we Christians can get some thing out of place in our efforts to do something right. Today, I will post the overall message in a summary form and in the subsequent post I will deal with each beat/point/note separately.

1 Kings 8:54-61

God had given Rest (Peace, Rhythm)

·       Matthew 11:28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. NKJV

God had kept His Promise

·       “Not one word has failed of all his good promise”

·       Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. NIV

·       Why do we think our plans are better?

Desiring God

·       Positionally (v57)

o   “be with us”, “may not leave us or forsake us”

o   Give God His rightful seat at the table as Lord and Master.

·       Relationally (v58a)

o   “incline our hearts to Him”

o   Incline: extend, stretch out, spread out.

o   The Message, “May he keep us centered and devoted to him”.

·       Directionally (v58b)

o   “to walk in all his ways”

·       Obediently (v58c)

o   Keeping his commandments, statutes, and rules

·       Continually (v59)

o   “day and night”

·       Effectually (v60a)

o   “Maintain the cause”

·       Evangelistically (v60b)

o   “That all the people of the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no other.”

·       Devotedly (v61)

o   1 Kings 8:61 Let your heart therefore be wholly true to the Lord our God, walking in his statutes and keeping his commandments, as at this day.” (ESV)

o   “as at this day”

o   Solomon wanted their covenant commitment to God to never end.