Good evening everyone and welcome to the Fifth Origami Church.
It would be great to see all of you for this day of your service.
If you could all please have a seat and grab a head roll.
And we can open up our head roll to song number 244.
You can get us a good service by singing song number 244,
there shall be showers of blessing.
There shall be showers of blessing, this is the promise of love.
There shall be seasons refreshing, sent from the Savior above.
Showers of blessing, showers of blessing we need.
Mercy drops round us are falling, the fullest showers we need.
There shall be showers of blessing, precious we find in your name.
Over the hills and the valleys, sound of abundance of rain.
Showers of blessing, showers of blessing we need.
Mercy drops round us are falling, the fullest showers we need.
There shall be showers of blessing, send them upon us O Lord.
Showers of blessing, showers of blessing we need.
Mercy drops round us are falling, the fullest showers we need.
There shall be showers of blessing, O that too lately might fall.
Now as to God we're confessing, now as will Jesus be born.
Showers of blessing, showers of blessing we need.
Mercy drops round us are falling, the fullest showers we need.
Song number 237, The Cleansing Waves.
Oh, now I see the mountain rain, the mountain deep and wide.
Jesus my Lord, I do sing, voice to his wordless side.
The cleansing stream I see, I see, I come to know, live not to be.
Oh, praise the Lord and cleanse with me.
It planted me, it planted me.
I see the new creation rise, I hear the sleeping flood.
Please speak to the loon in ancient night,
sing with the cleansing flood.
The cleansing stream I see, I see, I come to know, live not to be.
Oh, praise the Lord and cleanse with me.
It planted me, it planted me.
I rise to walk in eternal life above the world and sail.
May God give you a ring on his right,
pay price to the wedding.
The cleansing stream I see, I see, I come to know, live not to be.
Oh, praise the Lord and cleanse with me.
It planted me, it planted me.
Amazing grace did you become to feel the blood of God.
And Jesus, only Jesus would, my Jesus would survive.
The cleansing stream I see, I see, I come to know, live not to be.
Oh, praise the Lord and cleanse with me.
It planted me, it planted me.
Alright, if you need a bulletin, go ahead and slip up your hand,
and Brother Adam will bring you one.
Make sure I've got the right one here, I do.
As always, we've got our service times listed there on the inside on the top left.
Every Sunday at 10 30 a.m., again at 5 30 p.m.
Thursdays at 7 will be in 1 Kings, chapter number 5 tonight.
We've got the Churchwide Soul winning below that.
Go ahead and count up any salvations that might have taken place throughout the week,
going back to Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, 2, great.
And also just a couple notes there about the church.
Be sure to silence your cell phones for the remainder of the service if you haven't already done so.
We've got the birthdays listed for the month of February there.
Below that, if you want your birthday or anniversary listed in here, and it hasn't been,
and you don't see it here this month, that's because I don't have that information.
So if you want to email the church and give me that information, or text me,
or somehow give me that info, I'll be sure to have that included next year.
So you've got time to get it to me, but that's why it's not in there.
Below that, don't forget we're still working on the New Testament 90-Day Challenge.
Keep plugging away on that.
Mexico Monday has come and gone.
There's going to be, I guess it was a pretty successful trip the folks that went down there had.
How many was it saved? Ten? Great.
So I know Brother Chris is doing an impromptu trip next Thursday, too.
So he's going to be here Thursday night.
So there's going to be a Mexico Thursday, too, in addition to the Mexico Monday.
So he just mentioned that to me this afternoon, so I'm just passing it along for anyone that's interested.
On the back, don't forget the Children's Weekly Bible Memory passage.
How many kids have already gotten it?
How many kids are going to get it by Sunday, or on Sunday?
Well, if you can recite the passage, Word Perfect, to a non-relative,
you can go ahead and get yourself an ice cream bar.
That's limit one.
Make sure you're saying it Word Perfect to a non-relative.
If a child comes to you, adults, and wants to recite the verse,
make sure you hold their feet to the fire.
Make sure they say it Word Perfect.
Below that, we've got the men's preaching night coming up.
At the end of the month, this is open to men at least 18 years of age.
No spectators or non-soul winners allowed.
Please sign up if you plan to attend.
I'll have that sign-up sheet out this Sunday.
And then also on the bottom there, join us Friday, March 4th at 7 p.m. for our first movie night.
Brother Matt mentioned this is a great place for a projector.
So we're taking advantage of that.
We're all through in smoke machines.
There ain't going to be any of that going on here.
We are going to get a projector, and we're going to watch The Baptists.
We're not really promoting this one to the public,
but of course if you want to invite friends, family,
everybody's welcome to come and watch it with us.
I'm kind of doing this one so I can film this one.
So if you can make it, please make it.
Because I want to shoot while it's going on.
I kind of want to make a promo video for future movie nights.
When we go out in Tucson, we can promote this, the future films that are coming up.
The next one that's going to be coming up in all likelihood is going to be
Idiot Scientists, Professing Themselves to be Wise,
which is one that Pastor Anderson made.
It's a quick documentary, but it's a good one.
And we'll watch that on April 1st, which is going to be a Friday.
So you connect the dots there.
Come on out for this, Being Baptists, great film.
We're going to have popcorn, nachos, and soda pop provided.
And of course, these are always free of charge.
If anyone tries to take money from you at the door, come see me about that.
But that's going to do it for announcements.
We're going to go ahead and sing one more song before we get into the preaching tonight.
Yes, we shall wear a crown, yes, we shall wear a crown, yes, we shall wear a crown.
And when the battle's over, we shall wear a crown in the middle of Jerusalem.
Wear a crown, wear a crown, rest your white hair shining round.
And when the battle's over, we shall wear a crown in the middle of Jerusalem.
Yes, we shall wear a crown, yes, we shall wear a crown, yes, we shall wear a crown.
And when the battle's over, we shall wear a crown, yes, we shall wear a crown, yes, we shall wear a crown.
And when the battle's over, we shall wear a crown in the middle of Jerusalem.
Wear a crown, wear a crown, wear a bright and shining crown.
And when the battle's over, we shall wear a crown in the middle of Jerusalem.
Sure by the sighted heart we pray, please release my poor resolve.
The battle's over, we shall wear a crown, yes, we shall wear a crown, yes, we shall wear a crown.
And when the battle's over, we shall wear a crown in the middle of Jerusalem.
Wear a crown, wear a crown, wear a bright and shining crown.
And when the battle's over, we shall wear a crown in the middle of Jerusalem.
All right, at this time we'll pass the offering plate.
As the plate goes around, we'll turn around to First Kings Chapter 5.
As First Kings Chapter 5 is always within your entire chapter, please follow all the senators and release from First Kings Chapter 5.
First Kings Chapter 5.
Amen.
So in First Kings Chapter 5 we see Solomon here getting ready and preparing to build the temple.
And we're going to get into that in the next couple weeks, more of the details about the temple.
But really what we see here is that Solomon starting out has this great opportunity.
He's given this opportunity to do this great work for God.
And that's really what I want to talk to us about tonight is the fact that we have certain opportunities to serve God in our lives.
But that doesn't mean that everybody seizes that opportunity.
And we see here, this story could have gone very differently.
Solomon could have turned out differently, not been the great king that he was.
But he chose to seize the opportunity.
That's really what I want to preach to you about tonight is how to seize the opportunity that you have to serve God.
And first thing I want to point out, in order to seize the opportunity, you have to be able to see the opportunity.
Some people don't even realize that they have an opportunity to serve God in a greater capacity.
They just can't see it.
And if you can't see it, how are you going to be able to seize it?
And that's what we see here first of all in Chapter 5 verse 1.
And that's how that David, my father, could not build a house under the name of the Lord is God for the wars which were about him on every side.
So David didn't have this opportunity.
This is something that was in his heart to do.
But unfortunately for David, he wasn't allowed to do that because of the fact that he was, as we read in 2 Chronicles, a bloody man.
That he had shed much blood.
That there were many wars which were about him on every side.
God said, I know it's in your heart, but I'm going to give this opportunity to Solomon your son.
And Solomon was the one that was given this opportunity.
He says there in verse 4, but now the Lord my God hath given me rest on every side.
He's saying, I don't have the wars.
I have the rest.
I have what?
I have the opportunity to serve God.
I have the opportunity to serve the Lord, to do something big for God.
So in order to seize the opportunity, you first have to be able to see it.
You have to recognize, you have to acknowledge that that opportunity even exists.
And that's what Solomon does right here in the beginning.
He says, look, the Lord my God hath given me rest on every side so that there is neither adversary nor evil occurrence.
He's seeing the opportunity.
And it's important that we see the opportunity.
And really what I want us to see and understand starting out here is the fact that, you know, some people will say,
I know I could serve God, but is it really that big of a deal?
Well, just like David couldn't serve because he was limited in some way.
You know, there's other people in this world that would like to serve God but are not able to.
And of course, we understand that David was saved.
But, you know, just for illustration's sake, I'm kind of throwing that out there.
But consider this, is that there are some people in this world that want to serve God and can't.
Who are they?
It's the unsaved.
Unsaved people cannot serve God like you can.
They don't have the Spirit of God.
They don't have the understanding.
They don't even know how to serve God.
And, you know, it's real unfortunate when you run into unsaved people who are more fervent about serving God than even saved people are.
And I remember I've, you know, several times run into people like this, out visiting and door knocking and soul-witting and so on.
You know, I remember being in a Catholic home once and, I mean, they had the water dish.
They had the holy water right when you walked in.
They had all the idols up.
I mean, they were Catholic Catholics.
They weren't, you know, just Catholic in name only.
They were living the Catholic life.
And you know what they were doing?
They were trying to serve God.
And I remember walking out of there and thinking, boy, I know they're unsaved.
I know that they're unfortunately caught up in a false religion that's going to lead them to hell.
But, man, I wish we could have some Baptists, wish we could have some saved people that had the kind of fervor that they did for what they believe.
In order to serve God, you first have to be able to recognize the fact that you have the opportunity that some people don't even have.
That they want to serve God.
Their heart's in the right place, but they're doing it, you know, they have zeal but not according to knowledge.
But unfortunately, they're more infervent sometimes than even those people who can.
Say, what do you mean they can't serve God?
Look, the Bible says, so they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
And when you are not saved, when you are in, you know, following some false religion, you're trying to serve God in the flesh that will not please God.
So I want to bring this to your attention this evening is that, first of all, I want you to see is that you as a saved person have the opportunity to serve God.
You have an opportunity that not everybody has.
The saved have that opportunity.
If you would, keep something there and go to Ephesians chapter number two, Ephesians chapter number two.
Solomon saw his opportunity to serve God and he seized it.
He jumped on it. He went after it.
And sometimes I wonder if saved people even see the opportunity that they have.
They even see what's possible for them to do.
That they could serve God. Look there, you're going to Ephesians chapter two.
It says in verse 10, for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
What is God foreordained?
He is foreordained that we should walk in them.
Walk in what?
That we should walk in the works that we are created unto.
We've been created in Christ Jesus unto good works.
You know, God doesn't get you saved to punch your ticket to get you to heaven.
I mean, obviously you could get saved and never do a thing for God for the rest of your life and still go to heaven.
We all understand that.
But here's the thing, God did create you in Christ Jesus unto good works.
That we what? Should walk in them.
Not that we must.
What must I do to be saved? Believe.
But what should we do?
We should do the works that we've been created unto.
God has given us a great opportunity to serve him.
Otherwise, what are we doing here?
Heaven's a lot better from everything I've read and heard.
I'm ready to go in a lot of ways.
I didn't mean that.
But in a way I am.
I mean, what are we doing here?
Let's get it over with. Let's get there.
You know, to depart and be with the Lord is far better, right?
Well, we're here because God has given us an opportunity to serve him.
And we need to see that tonight.
We need to see that we have an opportunity in our lives, in this city, in this church, to serve God.
Or wherever we find ourselves, we can serve the Lord.
But we should walk in them.
Now, let me point this out. That opportunity to serve God isn't always convenient, is it?
You say, well, if God's given all these Christians this great opportunity to serve him, how come more Christians aren't doing it?
Because it's not easy.
Because if it was easy, everybody would do it.
That opportunity is not always convenient.
But you know what? It's an opportunity nonetheless that we need to take advantage of.
So Solomon, first of all, I want to point out this evening, he sees his opportunity.
We need to see our opportunity to serve God.
He recognized the fact, hey, I can do something that my father David was not able to do.
That was in his heart to do, but God said, no, you can't do that. Your son's going to do it.
And he's given me this great opportunity to serve him. He saw it.
After he saw it, that's what led him to be able to do what? To seize the opportunity.
If you want to seize it, you've got to see it.
And if you go back to 1 Kings chapter 5, 1 Kings chapter number 5, begin in verse 4 again, he said,
But now the Lord my God hath given me rest on every side, so that there is neither adversary nor evil current.
And behold, I purpose to build an house under the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord spake unto David my father.
He sees this opportunity and then he seizes it.
He sees what's possible and he says what? I purpose to build.
I purpose to build. And that's something that we need to say to ourselves in our own lives when it comes to serving God.
I purpose to build. That needs to be a theme for us. That needs to be something we tell ourselves.
I purpose to build. I have the intent to serve God.
I see the opportunity, let me seize it, let me lay claim to that opportunity and purpose in my life to serve him.
Let me purpose to build.
I purpose to build. Go over to James chapter 4, James chapter 4.
And here's the problem, there's a lot of Christians they understand this, they say,
I know I'm here to serve God, I know I've been given this opportunity to serve God, but I'll get around to that later.
A lot of young people think this way. Well, you know, when I'm older, going to church and serving God, that's for old people.
I'll get around to that. Here's the problem, most people that think that way never get around to it.
They never get around to it. And here's the thing, you might not have that time.
You think, I'll serve God later, I'll serve God tomorrow, I'll serve God when things are more, what, convenient.
When the opportunity is a little bit more convenient to serve God, then I'll serve him.
The Bible says, Boast not thyself of tomorrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.
Your opportunity is right now, today. Because you don't know what's going to happen tomorrow.
You don't know what tragedy is going to befall you, what illness might come, how your situation is going to change.
Look, things happen all the time to people. And it can change tomorrow.
Look at James 4, look at verse 13, he said, Go to now, ye that say, Today or tomorrow we'll go into such a city,
and continue their year, and buy and sell and get gain. They're just making all these big, long plans about what they're going to do a year from now.
Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow.
I mean, isn't that how we live our lives? We can't tell what's going to happen tomorrow.
And obviously we want a plan, we want to have a direction in life.
But sometimes we just talk so matter-of-fact of how things are going to be.
We're just so self-confident and just so assured that, yeah, this time next year, X, Y, and Z.
And God's saying, look, you don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. We can't even predict tomorrow.
But notice how he ends, he says, What is your life? It is even a vapor that appearth for a little time and then vanisheth away.
It always makes me think of steam coming out of a pot or off a cup of coffee or something. You see that little vapor coming up.
I mean, it's just there and gone. It doesn't even make it that far off the cup, does it?
But that's our life. It doesn't go very far. It's pretty flimsy. It's easy to blow around.
And it can cool off, right? And then it goes away. And we're all going to cool off one day, right?
Life's going to be over. It could be over tomorrow. You know, it really could.
So let's not get this attitude that thinks, well, you know, tomorrow I'll serve God, later I'll serve God, next year I'll serve God.
The opportunity is now. You need to seize it. You need to see the opportunity so that you can seize it.
And I'm preaching this because, you know, unfortunately, you know, and every one of us to some degree have let the opportunity to serve God slip through our fingers, haven't we?
I mean, I know I can look back and say, I could have given that guy the gospel. Oh, I could have spent that time reading my Bible.
Oh, I could have memorized so much more scripture by now. And so on and so on and so on.
But we all do that to some degree. Unfortunately, some people, that's going to be the story of their life.
They're going to get to heaven and they're just going to look back and see one giant opportunity to have served God and say, I didn't do anything.
You know, I mentioned this in a sermon just recently. There's going to be some people that get to heaven and every single one of us, no matter how much we serve God, no matter how much we take advantage of the opportunity that we have to serve God here,
we're all going to look at Jesus in the face and say, I wish I'd given him more. I don't care how much you serve God, but when you get there, you'll think I could have done so much more.
You know, but that's a much more comforting thought than to be the person who gets there and said, I didn't do anything. I could have done something, but I didn't do anything.
Well, I wish we had done more. I just don't want to be that guy that says, well, I just wish I had done something for God. Don't let the opportunity to serve God slip through your fingers.
You know, I like to read quotes. Well, I wish, I guess I don't that often. I'd like to do more in sermons, but you never know about these people that you're quoting, right?
So I've always been kind of hesitant to quote people in sermons, but then it kind of dawned on me. It's like, I can just tell you the quote and not tell you who said it.
So you can go Google him or I guess you could Google the quotes. Ah, he's quoting some whatever.
But here's my take on that is that even if I'm quoting somebody who's not, you know, an independent, fundamental Baptist, you know, soul winning, fire and damnation preaching, you know, preacher,
even a blind pig finds a truffle now and then, right? Even a blind squirrel finds a nut, right? Even a broken clock's right twice a day.
So even these, I don't know who these people are. I don't really spend a lot of time, but I looked up, you know, I was looking into the subject. I thought, well, this isn't a good quote.
It's pretty ominous. It's pretty, it's kind of cold, but it's true in light of the fact that some people do what?
That they let the opportunity to serve God slip through their fingers. They don't do anything for God their whole Christian life.
I read this quote. It said, a useless life is but an early death. A useless life is but an early death.
I mean, if we're not going to serve God with our lives, we might as well be dead in a sense when you think about it.
I mean, what else are we doing here? Just passing the time, pleasing the flesh, just enjoying life.
And look, God gives us all these things to enjoy. I understand that. But that's not all that we're here for.
And if we're not going to be useful for God, I mean, we might as well, in light of eternity, be six feet under right now.
You know, Paul said in Philippians, for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.
You know, not everyone can say that. The guy who can say that is the guy that's taking advantage of the opportunity to serve God.
He can say, hey, for me to live is Christ. I'm here living for Christ. I'm taking advantage of the opportunity.
I see it. I'm seizing it. I'm serving God. And when I die, it's gain. I'm going to be rewarded.
The guy who's not serving God, the person who is not living for the Lord, they can't say that.
I mean, I understand it's still gain to them. They're going to be in heaven. They're going to have the new body.
But there's no reward waiting there. If you can't say for me to live is Christ, can you really say for me to die is gain?
I don't think you can. At least not to the full degree that Paul was able to say it.
Paul told us, let us not sleep as do others, but let us watch and be sober. Let's not live our lives like the world.
I mean, what's the world? The unsaved are out there. They're just passing time until they die.
They're just trying to fit in all the fun that they can, all the enjoyment.
And, you know, I can't blame them. I'm not saying that to, you know, besmirch them. I'm just saying that's the way it is.
I mean, what else are you going to live for? What else are you going to do? Of course your life's going to be all about entertainment and everything else.
But let us not sleep as do others, but let us, what, watch and be sober. Let's be serious about serving God in our lives and taking advantage of the opportunity that He's given us.
Because only the one, only those who have served can echo Paul for me to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Solomon saw the opportunity. He seized it. He did not squander that opportunity that other people provided him.
And this is a point I want to make here because I think it's important, is that Solomon, you know, he had this opportunity, but it was something that was provided to him by other people when you think about it.
I mean, ultimately it was from God, but it was something that was given to him by somebody else. And you know what he didn't do? He didn't squander it.
He didn't waste it. He didn't just cast it aside, you know, carelessly. He didn't squander it.
Look at verse 1 again back there in 1 Kings chapter number 5. Hyrum is a, this isn't the first time we've read about Hyrum in the Bible.
Hyrum is somebody that knew David before Solomon was around. It said in verse 1 of 1 Kings 5,
and Hyrum king of Tyre sent his servants unto Solomon, for he heard that they had anointed him king in the room of his father, for Hyrum was ever a lover of David.
I mean, he was somebody whose heart was knit with David. He was somebody who loved and appreciated David.
If you remember, Hyrum was the one who helped build David's house back in 2 Samuel. He helped him build it.
He helped him build it.
And I believe that Hyrum here was endeared to Solomon because of the friendship that he had with David.
So Solomon has this opportunity to do this great work for God because remember, you know, in the story here, Solomon's asking for help from Hyrum.
He said there, if you look at verse 6, at the end, he said,
He said, For thou knowest that there is none among us that can skill to hew timber like unto the Sidonians.
He's like, look, you guys got the skills. We need your help.
And you got this guy who's skilled who's coming to David. He's opening up this communication and he's willing to work with him and to make a league with him and be his team.
Why? Because of the fact that he had already had that relationship with David, his father, because that was something that was given to Solomon.
This relationship was already established. He was already in Hyrum's favor because of his dad, because of his father.
And you know what he didn't do is he didn't squander it. If you would, go to Proverbs 27. Proverbs 27.
And I think this is important because, you know, we develop this attitude sometimes, especially these days where people just take relationships for granted.
I mean, and just name the relationship, the dynamic. People just take it for granted all the time.
When it comes to jobs, people will just drop jobs that they've had for years like that.
You know, marriages, people will be married for decades and then just the next day they'll walk out on it.
You know, kids will grow up and just burn their parents. They're all over the streets out here.
They're all out there hooked on drugs and begging for money. They've burned people in their past, I guarantee it.
And people will just turn their back on a church at the drop of a hat these days. They'll just burn these relationships. They'll just burn these bridges.
And sometimes it's not even a bridge that they built. It was one that somebody else gave to them.
Kids grow up and say, well, I'm not going to serve God. I'm going to go live for the world.
They've been brought to a Baptist church and had that opportunity to serve God just set in front of them.
And that's something that's always frustrated me. When I first got saved, I had some friends that I was friends with before I got saved.
And then I come to find out that they come from this wholesome Christian family that are saved and I'm just thinking, man, you had it all.
What are you doing hanging out with me? And they just take it for granted.
And look, people do this. But Solomon didn't. Solomon saw the opportunity. He seized it. He did not squander what was given to him.
Look at Proverbs 27, verse 10. Thy own friend and thy father's friend forsake not.
Hyrum didn't come around and say, I don't need your help. Get out of here. I know you're friends with my dad. I can do this all on my own. I don't need any help. I got this.
No, he understood. Forsake not. Thy father's friend forsake not.
Neither going to thy brother's house in the day of calamity, for better is a neighbor that is near than a brother far off.
Look, the relationships that you develop, the immediate relationships that you have, let me apply it specifically within this church, are very important.
They're important. You know, your good friend, a thousand miles away on the other side of the country or wherever, they can't do a lot for you in the day of calamity.
You know who can? The people in this room. The people that are here, the people that care about you and pray for you, people that love you. They can help you.
And Solomon knew that. He had Hyrum, you know, who was coming to him and he was reaching out to him. Hyrum, a man who had already been a friend of the family before he was around,
he sees this opportunity and says, well I'm not going to waste this guy. I'm not just going to pretend like I don't need his help. You know what? Solomon was not too proud to accept help.
He was not too proud to accept help. Look, if you're going to seize the opportunity to serve God, you're going to have to be able to put your pride away and accept help.
Because serving God is hard. It's not easy. We can't have this lone ranger attitude, well I can serve God on my own.
I'm sure people can, but the likelihood of you actually doing that is very slim. The likelihood of you serving God to the capacity that you could on your own as opposed to being in a local church is very slim.
Look, people need to be in a local church, why? So that they can be edified, so they can be provoked unto love and to good works.
But some people are just too proud to accept help. They accept the fact that, well I need a good local church. Maybe I don't agree with everything, but I can get over that and just be a good team member. I can just go along to get along.
You need to be able to accept help if you're going to seize the opportunity. That's what we see Solomon do. Go to 2 Chronicles chapter 2.
In 2 Chronicles chapter 2 he says there, I'll make sure I got this right.
Alright, I do. I think. Yes, okay. I want to make sure I got it right. I hate turning the passage and having to have you guys scratch your heads while I'm reading.
But Solomon, you know, he's not too proud to accept help. Solomon is somebody who actually seeks the help of others. And that's what we need to learn to do.
We're going to serve God and we're going to seize the opportunity to serve Him. Look there in 2 Chronicles 2 verse 3.
Solomon sent to Hyrum, you know, that's Hyrum, it's just a different spelling, the king of Tyre saying, as thou didst deal with David my father and didst send him cedars to build him an house to dwell therein, even so deal with me.
Saying, hey, I want to continue this relationship. So we're getting some more details about what we're reading in 1 Kings 5, exactly how this conversation went.
Verse 4, behold, I build a house to the name of the Lord God to dedicate it to Him and to burn incense before, excuse me, to burn before Him sweet incense and for the continual showbread and for the burnt offerings, morning and evening, on the Sabbaths, on the new moons, the Psalm feasts of the Lord our God.
This is an ordinance forever to Israel. And the house which I built is great, for great is our God above all gods. He's saying, look, I got a big work to do. It's important.
But who is able to build them in house, seeing the heaven and the heavens and the heavens cannot contain Him? Question, right?
He doesn't go on and say, well, I'll tell you who, me. He's not just bragging. He's not saying, look, let me tell you how important this work is, how big of a work it is, and let me tell you something, I'm just the guy for the job.
I know how to do everything. And that's not what he's saying. He goes on and says, who am I then that I should build him in house?
See, this is what, you know, one of the great attributes of Solomon was his humility, which was something, you know, that his father had.
His father made a similar statement. Who am I and what is my house that thou has led me hitherto?
This is something that Solomon understood, too, that who am I that I should build him in house and look, truly, who are any of us that we should serve God Almighty?
And if we think that, well, I've got it all figured out, I know how to do it all on my own, and I don't need anybody's help, you know, we're proud.
And we're not going to serve God to the capacity that we could. And that's why people don't ask for help.
And that's what Solomon's doing here. He's saying, look, who am I that I should build him in house?
Send me now there, verse 7, send me now therefore a man cunning to work in gold and in silver and in brass and in iron and in purple and in crimson and in blue
and that can skill the grave, the cunning men that are with me in Judah and Jerusalem whom David my father did provide.
He's saying, look, help me do this work for God. You know, and I say the same thing. I'm saying the same thing to you tonight.
Help me do this great work for God here in Tucson. I'm not so proud to think, well, I got this. Hey, I don't need any of you here.
I'll knock all these doors out there. I'll get all these people saved. I'll bring them in and I'll get them all baptized.
You know, I got my plate full right here. I'm doing my part getting out there. I understand we've got to get the ball rolling, but look, I feel like the ball's rolling around here.
I feel like gathering steam. We got people that have stepped up and are leading soul winning times and pitching in and serving in different places.
Look, I can't do it all on my own. I won't last. I'll burn out, fade away.
Look, we got a big work to do. We have a big opportunity. We got to see that and we got to seize it.
And part of that, you know, seizing an opportunity is seeking the help of other people and not being so proud to think, well, I can just do it all on my own.
I don't need any help.
You know, people don't ask for help because, you know, they're too proud. Or they're too stupid. Or both, I guess. I don't know.
I should have had you keep something in Proverbs. I apologize. If you want to go to Proverbs chapter 11. Proverbs chapter 11.
Look, we need help. We need counsel. We need people to assist us if we're going to take full advantage of the opportunity to serve God that we have.
We can't do it all on our own.
The Bible says in Proverbs 15, you're going to chapter 11, but it says in chapter 15, without counsel, purposes are disappointed, but in the multitude of counselors, they are established.
That purposes are established in a multitude of counselors.
You know, we get things done when we have a lot of people getting involved and we have a multitude of counselors.
Look at Proverbs 11 verse 14. Where no counsel is, the people fall. Where no counsel is, the people fall.
I don't need advice. I don't need help. I don't need anybody to tell me what to do. I don't got to go listen to that preacher get up and, you know, scream and yell.
I don't need any counsel. Then you're going to fall. Because we all need counsel. No one's born knowing it all. That doesn't happen until you're about 15.
That's a joke. Then you get to about 20, 22 and you start to realize, oh, I really don't know it all.
And then you're 30 and then you're finally starting to listen, right? And hopefully it happens a lot sooner than that.
But look, sometimes that's the attitude people have. I don't need any counsel. You're going to fall.
But in the multitude of counselors, there is safety.
You know, there's nothing wrong with just getting advice, bouncing things off people. Am I thinking right about this? What do you think?
It's a good thing to do. It could spare you a lot of heartache.
That's what Solomon did. He sought counsel. He sought help. Let me go to somebody who's more skilled, has more experience, has already done this before, has already built a house for my dad,
has all the tools, has all the knowledge, has all the ability. Let me go see if I can get some help from him and how to do this great work.
That's what we need. That needs to be our attitude if we're going to accomplish something for God.
And say, hey, I want to live my life for God. I want to raise my family for God. You know what you should do?
It would behoove you to go find a family that's raised their children for God and say, how'd you do it?
Let me get some counsel. And I'm preaching this because it's just so frustrating to see people reject sound counsel.
It's so frustrating to see people reject clear biblical instruction from the Bible.
In their homes, especially, you'll see, I mean, moms are just pulling their hair out. The kids are out of control. Dad's aloof. Can't go anywhere.
And you just scratch your head and you wonder, why is that? Are you doing what the Bible said to do?
Are you disciplining your children? And look, this is just one area. Marriage is falling apart. People are at each other's throats.
Well, why is that? Are you doing what the Bible said to do? Are you fulfilling your roles according to scripture? No.
Well, why are you so surprised then at the results you're getting? People say, oh, I'm a Christian. I believe the Bible. I love God.
Then Jesus said, why call you me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I tell you?
And people need to, if they're going to live for God and accomplish something for God, they need to get counsel. This is the ultimate source of counsel.
And this is where we need to get our counsel from. Not from the world. Not let the world determine how we're going to raise our families, what our priorities are going to be, how we're going to think and feel about things.
This book, this counsel, because this is the counsel that's going to stand. That's all shifting sand out there.
I mean, good night. Do we have to go into it? About how the winds just change out there from day to day?
You know, you should let your child choose the gender they want to be. I was told, don't let them play with Barbies.
You know, give them a gun, toy gun. Give them matchbox cards. Don't give them dolls or whatever.
Now it's like, oh, if he wants to play with dolls, maybe he just wants to be a girl. That's the insanity of the world out there.
And yet Christians will hear Bible preaching and say, who does he think he is? Say something like that.
That's not what I heard on the news. That's not what I read. That's not what Oprah told me. That's not what Dr. Phil said.
Well, I'm glad, you know, you've got some counsel there, but it's going to fail you when you raise a freak.
It's true. When your marriage falls apart, when you live your whole life, you've never done anything for God,
then maybe you'll listen to what the Bible actually has to say. But by then, it's going to be too late in a lot of areas, isn't it?
You know, here's the thing. If we see the opportunity that we have, and you can go back to 1 Kings chapter 5,
if we see the opportunity that we have, every single one of us, to serve God, and we seize it, and we seek the counsel,
and you know what we'll end up doing is we'll be a source of joy. That's what Solomon was.
Look at verse 7, and it came to pass when Hyrum heard the words of Solomon that he said, you're so pathetic.
Well, you can't figure it out on your own, Solomon. Oh, you know how to do this? You need some help? You little baby?
No, it says that he rejoiced greatly. And he said, Blessed be the Lord this day, which hath given unto David a wise son over this great people.
And Hyrum sent to Solomon, saying, I have considered the things which thou sent us to me for, and I will do all thy desire concerning the timber of cedar and concerning the timber of fir.
You know, I think sometimes people don't ask for help because they don't realize that people are glad to help.
And maybe this is just me and the position that I'm in, you know, in this church and being somebody that, you know, typically it's kind of understood that,
you know, the deacon, the pastor, these are people that you can come to for help and for counsel.
And it always boggles my mind when someone will finally come to me and they'll say, well, I just didn't want to bother you.
Or they'll call and say, hey, I know you're busy and I don't want to. And it's like, well, that's, that's what I'm here for.
That's like literally my job. So I know you're busy. It's like, yeah, but you take precedence over all that. I can answer this stupid email.
You know, I can answer this vague thing about, you know, Daniel's whateverth week later.
I could try to explain the intricacies of the post tribute rapture to some stranger on the internet some other time.
You take precedent. You're not really interrupting anything. I want to be interrupted.
And I'm just kind of putting this out there tonight because, you know, I don't want this to become the culture in this church where people are like,
oh, don't bother deacon with any of my problems. And look, I'm not saying come to me with all your problems.
If people want to keep things, their private, their, their matters private and, and all of that, I respect that. I get it.
But if you find yourself needing counsel, look, I'm here and I promise you won't end up being a sermon illustration.
And people have come to me about plenty of things in this church that have not turned into sermons. Okay.
And, you know, there's, and I understand conflict, you know, you know, uh, speaking and confidence and all that.
And honestly, and I'm just saying this, there's things that I don't even tell my wife.
And not because I'm afraid she's going to go blabbing to everybody, but because it's just, you know, that's part of being, you know, in this position.
Is that people need to be able to confide in you and come to you with their problems and their issues and their temptations and their struggles and all of those things.
And know that when they speak to you, that it's going to be done in confidence.
And look, if somebody does that to you, you know, assume that, that, that they're coming to that same trust.
When someone's coming to you and seeking help, you know, and confides in us, you know, obviously we need to respect their privacy.
People are glad to help though. That's why I'm saying all that is that I'm more than happy to help people and to counsel people.
I mean, that's why I'm doing this. That's why, you know, we're reading and studying and writing the sermons is I want to see people succeed in the Christian life.
And that's what Solomon did, didn't he? He saw the opportunity. He seized it. He seeks help from other people.
He ends up being a great source of joy. But lastly, I want to point out the fact that is that Solomon succeeded.
He did succeed. It says in verse 18, and Solomon's builders and Hyrum's builders did hew them and the stone squares so they prepared timber and the stones to build the house.
And we know how the story goes. This house gets built, folks. This great work gets accomplished. And God is pleased with it.
And we're going to read about it in the coming weeks. But how is it that he succeeded? Well, he didn't squander the opportunity that was in front of him.
He sought the help he needed. And look, we don't all, we all can live a successful Christian life. I don't care what your past is like.
I don't care where you're at now. If you're still breathing air, you still have a pulse, God has a purpose for you.
You can still serve God in this life. Look, maybe you can't do everything that other people do, but maybe you can do more of what everyone can do.
If that makes sense. And you have the opportunity to serve God and be successful at it, but just need to understand this is that you don't have all the answers.
And neither do I. And if we're going to succeed at this, we're going to need to seek counsel from one another and from the Word of God.
And it's not enough just to understand what it is. We have to put it into practice and do it. But that's the promise that we have.
Is that we will have good success if we take heed to this law, to this word, and all that's written therein. Let's go ahead and pray.
Dear Lord, again, thank you for this opportunity, Lord, not just this evening, but for our whole lives, Lord, that we have whatever days are in front of us, Lord.
That we have a great opportunity to serve you. And Lord, I pray you help every single one of us in this room to see that tonight and to understand it completely.
And to be determined to live a life that is pleasing to you, Lord. That we can stay like Paul, Lord.
That when we die and we go to be with you, that it will be gained. We ask these things in Christ's name. Amen.
All right, we're going to sing one more song before we go tonight.
Let's turn our windows to Psalm 263.
Psalm 263, Verily, verily.
Oh, Lord, sacred heaven, cry for me.
Run of condemnation for this great new day.
We can't believe it on this sunset day.
There, there was a glass behind.
We can't believe it on this sunset day.
There, there was a glass behind.
Verily, verily, I sing unto you.
We can't believe it on this sunset day.
There, there was a glass behind.
All quiet equities, all impolite.
All quiet enemies, all impolite.
All who believe, all impolite.
And say, have them who last divine.
Verily, verily, I sing unto you.
We can't believe it on this sunset day.
Have them who last divine.
All who believe, all impolite.
Have them who last divine.
Verily, verily, I sing unto you.
We can't believe it on this sunset day.
Have them who last divine.
All who believe, all impolite.
Have them who last divine.
Verily, verily, I sing unto you.
We can't believe it on this sunset day.
Have them who last divine.
Verily, verily, I sing unto you.
And remember, we are expressed.