He did it at night so that everyone, including the formidable foes facing them, the Aztecs, could see it. His men watched their only means of retreat and their only hope of return to their homeland sink to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico. If Cortez were alive today he’d be skinned alive by the media for not having an exit strategy! History records that his action resulted in a great victory. A better example of a determination to honor God is Elisha. God called him to be the successor to Elijah. Elisha burned all his farm equipment, killed his 24 oxen, cooked the meat on the fire and served it to the people. He literally burned his bridges. He was determined to honor God with his life. In the O.T. the word honor is some form of the word kabod that means “heavy” or “weighty.” It is sometimes translated glory. It suggests the magnitude or greatness of someone or something. You are impressed with someone. All of us know what it means to be determined. If you are determined to get a degree at OU it means that this choice is greater than other choices. You choose to study, read books, write papers and go to class instead of sleeping late or perusing a career. If you are determined to lose weight then it means that choice to eat healthy carries more “weight” than eating chocolate cake and ice cream. Determination means some choices are more important than others and some choices are eliminated. What would it look like in your life if you leave this building determined that God is going to carry a great deal of influence in your life? What would be different about your use of time if you leave determined that God will be revealed as great in your life? What would it look like if your attitude, your spirit, and your countenance reflected that you have been greatly impressed with God? Solomon spared no expense to build a Temple to display how much he honored God. What would be displayed in your life if you were determined to honor God? How can we honor God? Determine to honor the Lord. II. UNDERSTAND HOW TO HONOR THE LORD (I KINGS 6:11-13) This is an insertion between an account of the building of the Temple and the account of its interior decoration. It underlines the basic condition upon which God established David’s house, namely obedience to God’s will. God speaks to Solomon a second time. We don’t know how He speaks to Solomon. We’re just told that God’s Word clearly came to Solomon. You will note that God is more interested in Solomon’s walk with God than the construction of the temple. Obeying God ensured something far more important than having a temple in the midst of the people. It ensured that God would be in the land. If they failed to obey Him, He would abandon them. The word “abandon” in the O.T. conveyed various meanings. In Exodus 2:20 it described the physical act of leaving, but in Jeremiah 1:16 it described the spiritual act of forsaking God. Isaiah 54:7 describes God abandoning the disobedient to the consequences of their sins for a time, but He refuses to abandon His people. The prophets marveled at God’s faithfulness to His people despite their repeated forsaking of Him. In the N.T. we have the promise of Jesus that He will never leave us nor forsake us. The blessings and protection of God can be lifted off of his people when they live in disobedience.
Posted on: Fri, 23 Aug 2013 23:32:52 +0000
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