Sermon Tone Analysis

!!! Solomon’s Prayer Of Dedication

2 Chronicles 6:12-21

 

 

We want to thank God for the opportunity to participate in the dedication of this house of God.

We thank God for the pastors of The Beth-El Association of Visionary Churches and the expansion that is taking place.

On this sacred and esteemed occasion, I want to take my dedicatory address from the prayer of Solomon and his dedication of the Temple, as it is related to us in 2 Chronicles 6:12-21.

“The dedication of the Temple was a day to be remembered in Israel’s national history.

Significant things took place on this great day and such became the seal of God’s favor on the house built for His name.

The house was crowned with His glory and presence.

Everything that took place on that day points to and becomes prophetic of something that finds its fulfillment in Christ and His Church.”[1]

“The dedicatory service is replete with lessons for the Church.

God’s people are now God’s Temple.

The Holy Spirit is the Shekinah glory in the midst of His people.

In His Church, the name, the law, the presence and glory of the Lord abide.

There believers make spiritual sacrifices to the Lord in new covenant priesthood, a royal priesthood.

The Lord desires to have us maintain a pure and holy Temple for His dwelling place (1 Corinthians 3:16; 1 Timothy 3:15-16; 1 Peter 2:5-9).”[2]

To set the context, let me suggest and outline of 2 Chronicles 6.

The whole chapter deals with God’s dedicatory addresses, and we see

 

I.

Solomon’s address to God (vv.

1-2).

II.

Solomon’s address to the gathered people (vv.

3-42).

1.     Solomon’s blessing of God before the people (vv.

3-11).

2.     Solomon’s benediction of God over the people (vv.

12-42).

1)    The preamble (vv.

12-15).

2)    The promises to David (vv.

16-17).

3)    The petitions (vv.

18-42).

\\ (Needless to say, we cannot adequately cover the whole chapter, but let us briefly consider 2 Chronicles 6:12-21?

I will read this aloud for us.

Would you follow along in your Bibles or on the screens?)

As we have already pointed out, verses twelve through fifteen deal with the preamble to Solomon’s benediction of God over the people.

The word “benediction” means

 

“2.

prayer asking for God’s blessing,”[3]

 

and that is what Solomon is about to pray.

/(But before we get to the blessings or petitions that Solomon asks of God, he begins with:)/

 

I.

The Preamble (vv.

12-15).

The “preamble” is something that precedes or leads up to something else.

This preamble was accompanied by some actions.

So, let’s touch on Solomon’s actions and his introductory words.

/(First, let’s explore his actions.

The writer gives us two actions of Solomon in verse twelve, but then he adds additional information in verse thirteen.

The truth symbolized in Solomon’s actions is the importance of personal dedication.//*[4]*//

Let’s put the information in the two verses together.)/

1.

He made a bronze platform and set it in the midst of the upper or inner court, in front of the brazen altar.

The platform was made of bronze and bronze is always symbolic of judgment against sin and self.

If only Solomon had maintained this throughout his reign, it would *not* have ended in tragedy.[5]

*/The measurements of the platform are instructive./*

The platform was exactly the same measurement as the brazen altar in the Tabernacle of Moses.

The brazen altar was an altar of sacrifice and cleansing from sin.  */So, this platform was a picture of the cleansing of sin, which comes from the sacrifice of Jesus Christ./*

The platform was in the inner court, between the Holy place and the brazen altar.

After you enter the gate, Jesus, the Christ, and pass by the brazen altar of the cross and the molten sea for the washing of water by the Word, you would have to pass by this platform for personal sacrifice and cleansing of sin.

If we want the Shekinah-glory-fire-cloud of the Holy Spirit to come into our corporate temple, i.e. the local church, then we must deal with sin and self by personally judging it through repentance and confession.

/(Next:)/

 

2.

He stood on the platform before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all of the assembly.

*/Standing can signify surrender./*

Solomon presented Himself to God as a living sacrifice, in the presence of all of the assembly.

He surrendered himself, in the presence of all of the assembly.

This is certainly a picture of Jesus Christ, but the message is also for us.

Just as Jesus presented Himself a living sacrifice and received the Spirit of God without measure, so Paul exhorts us in

 

Romans 12:1, “I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”

If we want the Shekinah glory of God to come to this church, we must corporately present our bodies, i.e. all that we are, spirit, soul, and body, as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God.

The word “acceptable” means “well-pleasing.”

The wording is borrowed from the ritual of offering up sacrifices to God, the fragrance that He smelled in heaven and was satisfied.

When God was satisfied, in the Tabernacle and in the Temple, fire proceeded from the Shekinah-glory-fire-cloud and consumed the sacrifice.

This is our */rational/* or */spiritual/* service of worship to God, as opposed to the Old Covenant */physical/* service of worship.

And sometimes God wants us, particularly leaders, to totally surrender ourselves, in front of the assembly, as an example.

When God really begins to preach through me, some people stand up.

They don’t know why they do, but it has to do with being moved by the Holy Spirit and surrendering to the power of the Word.

/(Next:)/

 

3.

He knelt on his knees in the presence of all of the assembly of Israel.

Kneeling is a sign of humility and brokenness.

Kneeling is also a sign of total surrender in prayer.

Solomon willingly knelt in humility and brokenness, before God, in front of the whole assembly of Israel.

Did *not* his father, David, write in

 

Psalm 51:17, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.”

When Solomon’s spirit and heart were right, the Shekinah glory came.

*/God desires from us willingness, humility, and brokenness of heart in worshipping Him./*

The true sacrifices of the Lord are a broken spirit and a contrite heart, i.e. a heart that is godly sorrowful for sin, which works genuine repentance.

When our hearts are right, we will not care about kneeling in front of people.

“The external must symbolize the internal or else all is but formal ceremonialism.”[6]

*/When our hearts are humble and broken before God and in front of the congregation, the Shekinah will come!!!/*

 

/(Next:)/

 

4.

He spread his hands towards heaven.

The spreading of the hands speaks of absolute and total surrender in prayer.

*/Prayer had a great deal to do with the coming of the Shekinah./*

Isn’t this also typical of Jesus Christ?

The Bible tells us in

 

Hebrews 5:7, “In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety.”

*/We need to come in this place, this place where the local assembly of the universal church gathers, and spread our hands towards God in heaven with prayers, supplications, loud crying, and tears, and piety or religious devotion.

Then God will hear us in heaven and send the Shekinah of the baptism~/infilling of the Holy Spirit!!!/*

/(Now let’s touch on his words.)/

5.

He prayed.

He glorified God for keeping His covenant and showing His mercy to those servants of God who walked before Him with all their heart.

He glorified God for keeping His promise to David.

*/Before we ask God for anything, we need to glorify and thank God for the promises that He has kept on our behalf./*

We need to thank Him right now for being faithful to His promises to this local church.

All the promises of God are, “Amen,” or “Yes,” in Jesus, the Christ.

When you have Jesus, you have more promises that you can ever imagine and we must learn to thank God for them.

We must learn to thank Him for:

 

·        The promise of salvation is “Yes,” in Jesus, the Christ.