Our scripture reading for this evening is taken from 1 Kings chapter 9. 1 Kings chapter 9, and while you turn there, I'm going to find an NIV. 1 Kings chapter 9 is set within a rather remarkable context, It's the story of epic form that picks up where David's reign is coming to an end and all of the drama of his successor is ensued. King Solomon is the one who gets the crown and his wise reign is picked up and really brought to a pinnacle of expression in the completion of the long-awaited temple of God. And it was at the completion of Solomon's building that there is a time of great thanksgiving and celebration. Solomon prays to the Lord for his blessing. and then we pick up our text at verse 54 of chapter 8. 1 Kings chapter 8 verse 54, we'll read the end of that chapter to get the context and our text of particular focus this evening will be 1 Kings chapter 9 verses 1 through 9. Before we read, let us ask the Lord to bless His Word together. Our Father in Heaven, we do thank You for Your Word and for the Holy Spirit to come. Who comes to bring life to that Word within us to give us understanding and to work change and to grant us strength. May that be true for us this evening as we turn our attention now to this Word that we would grow in unity and in strength as your people. We ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen. 1 Kings chapter 8, beginning with verse 54. When Solomon had finished all these prayers and supplications to the Lord, he rose from before the altar of the Lord, where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward heaven. He stood and blessed the whole assembly of Israel in a loud voice saying, Praise be to the Lord who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses. May the Lord our God be with us as he was with our fathers. May he never leave us or forsake us. May he turn our hearts to him to walk in all his ways and to keep the commandments, decrees, and regulations he gave to our fathers. And may these words of mine, which I have prepared before the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, that he may uphold the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel according to each day's need, so that all the peoples of the earth may know the Lord is God and that there is no other. But your hearts must be fully committed to the Lord our God to live by His decrees and obey His commands as at this time. Then the king and all Israel with him offered sacrifices before the Lord. Solomon offered a sacrifice of fellowship offerings to the Lord. 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep and goats. So the king and all the Israelites dedicated the temple of the Lord. On that same day, the king consecrated the middle part of the courtyard in front of the temple of the Lord, and there he offered burnt offerings, grain offerings, and the fat of the fellowship offerings, because the bronze altar before the Lord was too small to hold the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat of the fellowship offerings. So Solomon observed the festival at that time, and all Israel with him, a vast assembly, people of Lebo Hamath to Wadi of Egypt. They celebrated it before the Lord our God for seven days and seven days more, fourteen days in all. On the following day, he sent the people away. They blessed the king and then went home, joyful and glad in heart for all the good things the Lord had done for his servant David. and his people Israel. When Solomon had finished building the temple of the Lord and the royal palace and had achieved all he had desired to do, the Lord appeared to him a second time as he appeared to him at Gibeon. The Lord said to him, I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me. I have consecrated this temple which you have built by putting my name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there. Now as for you, if you walk before me in integrity of heart and uprightness, as David your father did, and do all I command and observe my decrees and laws, I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever. As I promised David your father when I said, you shall never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel. But if you or your sons turn away from me and do not observe the commands and decrees I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land I have given them and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my name. Israel will then become a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples. And though this temple is now imposing, All who pass by will be appalled and will scoff and say, Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple? People will answer, Because they have forsaken the Lord their God, who brought their fathers out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshipping and serving them, that is why the Lord brought all this disaster on them. So is the reading of God's Word. Congregation of Christ, this week, we have had the joy of taking part of a two-fold thanksgiving. As we were reminded on Thursday and as well this morning, we don't merely give thanksgiving for the things that we can see and enjoy. in the land around us, but we give thanksgiving for an even greater gift and blessing. Surely with our culture, the people of our land, we give thanks for the peace and prosperity of our land. Something that we can enjoy that our brothers and sisters around the world may not be able to enjoy, such as worshipping together without fear of persecution or death. and maybe not so much our brothers and sisters around the world, but we here can certainly enjoy three square meals every day without much fear of going and want. And these indeed are great blessings from our creating and sustaining God. Yet even far greater, we've been reminded, is what He has won for us and done for us in the Lord Jesus Christ. And giving to us in Him blessings that are imperishable, will not spoil or fade away, blessings that are kept in heaven for us with Him. A peace and a prosperity with God and His kingdom that will be for all eternity. Our text this evening, likewise, comes after a season of thanksgiving. After two weeks of some of the most remarkable celebration. Children, our celebration at home this week was no doubt delightful. I dare say that what Israel enjoyed for those two weeks far exceeded what we could even imagine. We read 120,000 plus offerings. That alone would leave us gaping. And yet the feasting and the singing and the celebration would have indeed been great. And like us, their joy for a peaceful and prosperous land, their joy for what they could see was fully intended to raise their eyes beyond to what they couldn't see in the peace and prosperity that God had made with them between Himself. Holy God and sinful man. Peace. And that is where their joy should rest. Not in the things before them. Not in the things that they could see, but in what God had given to them, we might say, eternally. God reminds Solomon of this very truth when he reminds him of the covenant that as king he has inherited. And he does that in our text by confirming three parts of a covenant. Part of the trouble with choosing a list for a title is you don't know where the list should stop. My title is The Lord, the King, and His Kingdom. Up until the last moment I was tempted to say The Lord, the King, His Kingdom, and His Covenant. But you must stop somewhere. Indeed, though, this text is all about God's covenant. And though the word does not appear there, it nevertheless is prominent and crucial to understand if we're to understand our text. God confirms this covenant with the new king Solomon by proclaiming to him the promise or promises of the covenant. The prescription and then the penalty. So the promise, the prescription, and the penalty. We notice, first of all, as we approach the promise, that it comes after Solomon had built all his heart's desire. God had appeared to Solomon the first time in chapter 3 and he said to him, What? What shall I give to you, Solomon? And Solomon answered, Riches and fame. No, not riches and fame. Solomon answered, Wisdom. And God granted him wisdom and in the chapters that follow we see all that wisdom accomplished for the building of God's visible kingdom. A little piece of heaven right here on earth with the building of his palaces and the pinnacle of which the building of the temple. And after all of this building, we read in verse 2 that God appeared to Solomon a second time. And as we consider this within the broader context of God's relationship to his people, We remember that God also appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. And in much the same way, God appeared to Moses, to David, and to Solomon. If we consider these appearances and the word God proclaimed, and in many cases sealed to His people, we might observe that what God promised to Abraham He brings to visible expression through Moses, the work of David and now through Solomon. What God promised to the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob came to a visible expression through His servants Moses, David and Solomon. what we might think of as a structuring that God is doing for His people, a structuring of that earthly kingdom that would be a place where His glory was displayed for all to see, that all would know, as we read, that God is God and He alone. The structuring of an earthly kingdom and the laws and statutes and rules of Mount Sinai. The sacrificial system of which we read just a piece of from chapter 8. The promised land that Moses and Joshua brought the people into. And then through the victories of David and the integrity of his rule, they finally subdued the enemies of that land under their feet. And then we see the structuring of the kingdom through the king and the royal family. And ultimately, we might say, in the temple. That temple David longed to build, but it was Solomon who was given the joy to do it. And we have chapters that describe the glory of this temple, the pinnacle expression of God and His presence and His blessing among His people. Though glorious in their own right, these things, these visible expressions serve a far greater purpose. A far greater purpose than just enjoying the gifts themselves. And we forget this. We, like the people of God, then we today so often forget that what God gives to us visibly has a far greater purpose. The church of all ages has been tempted to rest her eyes upon the gifts rather than, as we heard this morning, on the giver of those gifts. And that is why the Lord appears to Solomon. He knows the hearts of His people. He knows the needs of His people. And He establishes a king in that kingdom in order that that king would so reign and lead that their eyes would never be fixed within themselves or around themselves, but that they would be brought higher than the earth to the God who gives grace and mercy to His people. In other words, that their eyes would be lifted beyond the earthly kingdom, they found themselves within to that eternal kingdom that was yet to come in Jesus Christ. Even Abraham saw that day and was glad. We are reminded of this eternal reality of God's blessings when we consider the promises of verse 3. The promises of verse 3, the Lord says, I have heard your prayer and your plea, Solomon, which you have made before me. I have consecrated this house that you have built by putting my name there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time. Beyond the visible and the temporary blessings that God had so lavished upon His people are these forever blessings, these eternal blessings that He proclaims as part of His covenant. The first is that the Lord hears and answers the prayer of His people. He's not like the other gods who might turn a deaf ear to the pleas and needs of His people, but He hears His people and He answers their prayer. Even more, we see that the Lord is with His people the text says that I have consecrated the house that you have made by putting my name there forever. Where the Lord places His name the Lord is present. Just as the high priestly blessing that the priests would place upon the people so they reminded the people of the Lord's presence with all those whom He called by His name. And He would be with them forever. A visible reminder of this reality was the temple where the presence of God Himself dwelt. And even more significant yet, the God who hears and answers prayer, the Lord who is with His people, the same Lord is committed to care for His kingdom. The Lord is committed to care for His kingdom and His people. He says that my eyes and my heart will be there for all time. At the end of verse 3. My eyes and my heart, where my name is proclaimed, there I am, There I see and there my love and fidelity are committed. He will care for His covenant people even as He cares for us, preserving us, upholding us every day. So the Lord will hear His people. He will be with His people and He will care for His people forever. the text says. And we as the people of God, as the church of every age, we often take this for granted too. We often take for granted the price that is required for God's care, His love, His mercy, and His grace. And so the Lord continues in our text. He moves beyond the promises and He brings sobering news to this Thanksgiving Day. The promises of 9 verse 3 are conditioned by the obedience prescribed in chapter 9 verse 4 and following. We read in verse 4 that as for you, if you will walk before Me, If you will walk before me as your father David walked with integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you and keeping my statutes and my rules, then I will establish your royal throne. You know, at first read, there may not be much surprising in this text. It's a simple if-then statement. if you do this, Solomon, then I'll do this, I'll do that. If you walk with integrity and uprightness, then I will establish your royal throne. But as we look at the text more seriously, we see God continues to say that if you do all that I have commanded, and we might be reminded of the words of Jesus here, that we are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our mind, with all our strength, with all our soul and say, who is sufficient for these things? It's sobering news. If we are to be a blessed people, such obedience is absolutely required. And beyond these duties, though, is a far more surprising twist in the text. Though the duties themselves are common for all the people, what we find and what I found to be more striking in reading through chapter 9 is that the burden of future peace and prosperity lies with the king. Did you see that? If the kingdom is to be ongoing in its peace and prosperity, it is absolutely essential that the king himself be obedient. Be obedient to all the commands of God. The text says in verse 4, as for you. In verse 3, God says, this is what I will do. This is what I am committed to do. Now as for you, And that may be why Solomon prays in Psalm 72, which we've sung earlier, Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to the royal son. May he judge your people with righteousness and your poor with justice. And as we go on in the psalm, we find that if Solomon, as king, is successful in such obedience before the Lord, then the Lord will be abundant, the harvest will flourish, and the peace and prosperity of the land will indeed continue as God hears His people, as He's with His people, and as He cares for His people. Yet, if the king fails, if the king fails, if you or your children fail, Solomon, and do not keep my commandments and my statutes that I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, then there will be devastating penalties. and we remember of how it is in God's economy as for the king so for the people in 2 Samuel 24 it seems near the end of David's reign he sins grievously before the Lord and 70,000 are killed that day 1 Kings 11 maybe David wasn't wise enough surely Solomon can rise to the task yet in 1 Kings 11 we read of how the wisest of all men himself grievously sins against God pursuing other gods in worship Directly contradicting the word that God had given to him. Directly breaking the covenant that God had established. And the whole kingdom is devastated. Never really to recover. Most of our text is spent describing and providing the sober reminder of this penalty for sin. The promises are in verse 3, the prescriptions and duties are in verses 4 and 5, and in verse 6 through 9, we find that if the king fails, Israel will be cut off from the land. That land of promise. That land that so many of the forefathers looked forward to and prayed for and longed for. That land that would be for them a land flowing of milk and honey, of peace and prosperity. They'd be cut off. Maybe worse, the temple. That pinnacle symbol of God's presence. That icon of glory that even the most influential and successful of Solomon's contemporaries came to see and marvel at. The temple would be destroyed. Not only would Israel be cut off from the land and the temple destroyed, but maybe the most devastating of penalties would be that the people of God would be ridiculed by their enemies. Those people whom God called out of the other nations, the people who had received the name of God in the high priestly blessing, the people whom God dwelt among, the people who themselves had the very Word of God and the sacrifices and the temple, the people who were to give glory to God amongst all the nations, the people whose purpose was to be focused on giving Him the praise and worship and adoration that no one else would consider giving. They themselves would be ridiculed by their enemies. Israel will become a proverb and a byword among the peoples. And this house will be a heap of ruins. Everyone passing by will be astonished and will hiss. And they will say, Why has the Lord done this to this land, this people, and this house? Rather than the witness of His grace and mercy, His people will be a witness to His judgment and wrath. In sum, those visible expressions of God's covenant and kingdom will pass away. Deuteronomy 29 verse 24 warns of this very same demise. That is, Moses warns of this very same demise. And Isaiah 64 verse 11 laments the reality of its coming. Along with Lamentations 2 verse 16. All your enemies rail against you. They hiss. They gnash their teeth. They cry. We have swallowed her. Ah, this is the day we've longed for. Now we have it. We see it. The Lord has done what He purposed. He has carried out His word, which He commanded long ago. He has thrown down without pity. He has made the enemy rejoice over you and exalted the might of your foes. And likewise, Daniel 9 verse 12 concludes that the Lord has confirmed His words, which He spoke against us and against our rulers by bringing upon us a great calamity For under the whole heaven, there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem. Once, a city set on a hill. The talk of all the towns and the presence of God's glory Himself ruined, along with all of God's visible expressions of His covenant and kingdom, a ruin that remains even today. As the might of Jerusalem and its walls and the glory of the temple remain in rubbles. Rather than signs of grace, they are symbols of God's judgment. As we consider these things, we may wonder, as so many have since, what must we do to be saved? If God is so committed to bring judgment against sin and disobedience, and if even the wisest of all men could not stand under the expectations that He's given, if even the best of kings could not fulfill the conditions of His covenant, and the most glorious of earthly kingdoms has been destroyed through His wrath, then what must we do to be saved? If even those could not look beyond the gifts to the giver, what must we do to be saved? that question was asked in Acts 16 verse 30 and the following verse answers believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved period believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved that is why Jesus came we're reminded by Matthew that he's the son of Abraham the son of David the royal heir of God's covenant and Jesus came so that we who are utterly destitute of ourselves even if given all the visible props and reminders of the sacrificial system and the temple and the glorious kingdom before us even if given all the props of visible reminders even then if we cannot adhere to the word of God then there must be another and that is why Jesus came and that is why above all other things we give thanks for him for his perfect life, death and resurrection as we heard this morning is that which has merited for us, has won for us a gift of God that can never be taken away. A peace and a prosperity that rests on no one else. Not you or me or our pastor or our president, but on Jesus Christ who came as the King of Kings. Our King. To secure God's blessing and eternal kingdom for us. As Peter says, though we do not see Him, we love Him. Though we don't have any of these physical things that we could see and touch and taste, such as the calendar of feasts and the sacrificial system in this glorious temple where God Himself dwelt, though we have none of it. The writer of the Hebrews says, don't go back. Don't rebuild it. Don't go there because Jesus has come. The One whom all of these things pointed to. The One whom Abraham himself saw has come. And though we do not see Him, we love Him. Though we do not see Him now, we rejoice in Him and believe in Him. with a joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory. Because we, by faith, have been brought into that eternal kingdom of God that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for us. That is our kingdom. As Jesus Christ lived and died and resurrected and is now reigning in His throne of heaven, we not only look forward to that inheritance there, but Paul reminds us in Ephesians 2 that we ourselves are seated with our King in heaven and reign with Him. We have been so joined with Him and therefore have nothing else to look for. Or to long for, but His return. And He will come again. The Gospel proclaims it so. And the signs and seals we have been given, they say the same old, old, wonderful story. That our Savior reigns in glory and will come again. Until then, we, as the people of God, can be assured that He does hear us and answer our prayers, that He is with us, and that He dearly, dearly cares for us because of Jesus Christ. For Jesus' sake. Amen. Our Father in heaven, we thank you for the grace that you have given to us in Christ. How fearful it is to consider living this life apart from Him. For we too are a sinful, needy people. We thank you for the new life that is ours in Him and pray that you would guard us from unbelief and strengthen us in faith fixed upon our reigning King. And we do ask, Lord Jesus, that You would come and that You would come quickly for us, Your Bride. In Your name we pray. Amen.