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Jonathan Griffiths: Through this king, the Lord brings access to his presence. He did so through Great King Solomon. And in the Gospel, the invitation is there through Jesus: come near to God. If you're far off, come into his very presence through faith in his Son.

Steve Hiller: Welcome to Encounter the Truth with Jonathan Griffiths. I'm Steve Hiller. Today we begin a message called "The King Who Intercedes." Jonathan, we may have some listeners today who would say, "I hear you say that we can come to God through Jesus. I've got baggage in my life, I've messed up, I'm the kind of person that I don't think God would want anything to do with." What would you say to that person?

Jonathan Griffiths: Well, I think those feelings are understandable on one level because we're all aware of our sin. If we have any sensitivity to our own wrongdoing and our standing before a holy God, we must ask, "How is it possible that I could come into his presence?"

And the story of Solomon and the temple in the Old Testament is a wonderful picture of invitation actually because God wanted a temple built so that his people could come near to him. But it's a story that points forward to a greater invitation, the invitation to come into God's presence through the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, who came to live here on earth among us and then die in our place so that our guilt could be paid for, our sins could be cleansed, we could be made fit for the presence of a holy God, not because of anything we have done or could do, but because Jesus is worthy and Jesus is able to pay the price for us. And that's the heart of the Gospel, and that's the wonderful invitation that we're going to open up in this message.

Steve Hiller: Well, we're going to do that from the book of First Kings. If you have a Bible handy, join us in chapter eight as we begin our message called "The King Who Intercedes." Here is Jonathan.

Jonathan Griffiths: Well, there is certainly plenty of discouragement to be found, is there not, in the kingdoms of this world in the present day? We see very readily the frailties and the follies of leaders and governments. We see society fraying in some significant respects. We see communities in conflict. We see it on our doorstep; we see it around the world. And with that as our rather grim backdrop, it is something of a balm to the soul to turn our minds' eye this morning to a moment in world history, a moment in Bible history, where God's king reigned in Jerusalem and led the people into a time of rich blessing and of true joy. A king who became the channel for the fulfillment of the promises and the purposes of God. It is before us in First Kings 8, a heartening scene, a happy picture. And we know that in Christ, it becomes for us a promise of greater things yet to come.

You know what it's like. There's been a tremendous build-up. An event is coming: a birthday, a celebration, a new job, maybe a wedding, a new home, a special vacation much anticipated. The build-up has been huge. What will the reality be like? Will it live up to all the hype? There has been tremendous build-up to this moment in Israel's history. The Lord himself has promised to set a son of David on the throne of Israel, a son to David and a son to God who would build a house for the name of the Lord. The people of God have been for centuries now in the land of promise, but there's been no settled place to worship the Lord, no temple, no house for his presence.

But in First Kings chapter eight, we reach now the day of dedication. Not only is God's anointed and appointed king on the throne in Israel, but the house has been completed. The place of the dwelling of God has been established. As Solomon prays before the people to the Lord, it is the promise of God that he highlights. This is, above all things, a great moment of fulfillment for the people of God. Notice it with me, verse 20. Now, says Solomon, "The Lord has fulfilled the promise that he made, for I have risen in the place of David my father and sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lord promised, and I have built the house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. And there I have provided a place for the ark, in which is the covenant of the Lord that he made with our fathers when he brought them out of the land of Egypt."

Now, as we've suggested before, this is a kind of high-water mark of the Kingdom of God in the Old Testament. The people are living in days of glory. They are seeing the fulfillment of the plan of God for the people of God. And so as we enter into these days of glory, as we step into this moment, as the people of old stepped into this moment, what will it be like to move from dream and promise into reality and experience? In this day of rejoicing and this day of fulfillment, what is it that the people of God now have, now enjoy, through the kindness of God and through the work of his great king?

Well, they have many things now, much to rejoice in, much to enjoy. I want to observe a few of them together this morning. And the first is this: through the Lord's king, his people have access. Access, that is, to his presence. We all know that access is a very, very important thing. We live here in a political town, a global capital city, and those who operate in the political sphere know that access is all-important. Who can you get a meeting with? How quickly can you secure that meeting, and how long will your meeting be? Who will take your phone calls? Who will invite your questions or your counsel? Access is everything.

We human beings were made for friendship with God. We were made to flourish as we live in his presence. Access to God means life; banishment means death. That truth, that dynamic, is at the heart of the drama of Eden. You'll remember where Adam and Eve were created to enjoy the presence of God but rebelled and so lost access to him. As the Lord sent them out from his life-giving presence, they not only experienced the sorrow of a broken relationship with their maker, they brought upon themselves the actual penalty of death.

As a result of sin, Adam and Eve were sent from the garden. And if you remember, cherubim, angels with a flaming sword, were sent to guard the way back into the garden. And in a sense, the whole storyline of the Bible since that point has been about the hope and the promise of a return to Eden, a return to the very presence of God. That's humanity's great need in a nutshell. God is the source of life. His presence is the place of life. Now, it's no mistake that within the design of the temple, there is fairly abundant garden imagery.

Just if you would flip back with me for a moment into chapter six. And I'd love to just notice together verse 23. Chapter six, verse 23. How in the inner sanctuary of the temple, in its design, there are two cherubim, two very large cherubim with wings touching one another in the middle of the room and then touching the two walls. These cherubim are overlaid with gold. And as we look at that design and just hear the description, our mind immediately must go back to Eden, to the garden's entrance.

And then we notice the carvings on the walls of the house. Verse 29 of chapter six. Around the walls of the house, he carved engraved figures of cherubim and palm trees and open flowers in the inner and outer rooms, and on it goes. The temple, and in particular its inner sanctuary, harks back to the garden in quite a deliberate way. And the reason for all this is obvious. It is the place where the presence of God may be accessed, where life may be found.

And so now in chapter eight, when the Ark of the Covenant, the box which contains the two tablets of the law and represents the presence of God among the people by his word, when the ark is brought into the completed temple and placed in the inner sanctuary underneath the wings of the cherubim—now back to chapter eight and verse seven—notice what happens there in verse 10. We read: "And when the priests came out of the holy place, a cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord."

Now you may remember that during the Exodus, the Lord led the people through the wilderness by his presence visualized by a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night. And the cloud here, we've learned to realize that a cloud in dramatic form represents the presence of God. And the cloud now in the sanctuary represents the presence of God in the sanctuary. And so Solomon sees and Solomon recognizes that the Lord has responded to the building of this great house in obedience. He has responded to that by setting his presence there. Verse 12. Then Solomon said, "The Lord has said that he would dwell in thick darkness. I have indeed built you an exalted house, a place for you to dwell in forever."

Now, I think we struggle a little bit to comprehend the wonder of this. That the God of heaven, the creator of the universe, the judge of all the earth, would set his presence among a sinful people. That he would come down to dwell in the midst of the community of his creatures, sinful creatures at that. I remember when we lived in London, there was a little bit of a buzz of excitement in the neighborhood one morning among friends on the school run. There was word that the Queen and her entourage had come through the neighborhood on the way to some official engagement. Her Bentley, her limousine, had been spotted flanked by all the security.

Although Buckingham Palace was not actually all that far away, the Queen is so cherished and so honored that being within a city block of her entourage was enough to cause a little bit of a stir of excitement, even in her own city. The whole point of the temple is that the sovereign of heaven and earth, the creator of the universe, has decided to build a house in the neighborhood, has decided to move in next door, has decided to live among the people whom he has made. And given the history, given all that took place in the garden, given the people's ongoing problem with compulsive wrongdoing, given that the holy God cannot abide the defilement of sin, all this, the whole temple project, is nothing short of a miracle.

And it was Solomon's special calling, the calling upon his life, to facilitate all this within the plan of God. It was the high point of his life to see God's presence descend to the beautiful house that he had built for him. But you know, Solomon knew enough of God, he knew enough of his character, enough of his greatness and his glory to know that this physical house was not the end of the story. He marveled at the fact that God would condescend to dwell among his people, but he knew as well that the presence of God could not ultimately be limited to a building of stone and wood.

Notice his remarkably insightful prayer, verse 27. It's a wonderful moment within the chapter. He exclaims in prayer, "But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you. How much less the house that I have built?" Will God indeed dwell on the earth? Is it true? Can it be? And could this house contain him? Well, the question Solomon asks is a good one, and it's more insightful than you yourself would know. The presence of the Lord would tragically depart this house in the years to come because of the people's sin. The house itself, glorious as it was, beautiful though it was, would be destroyed by the Babylonian invaders.

But God would indeed dwell upon the earth centuries down the line. You know the story. A cry would be heard in a stable in Bethlehem, and a baby would be born who would be called Emmanuel, God with us. In him, we would see the glory of God and he would make his dwelling among us, as John tells us. The God of highest heaven would live among us, not in a canvas tent, not in a stone temple, but in the frailty of human flesh. And we would see him, we would behold his glory, we would come to know him, and he would himself become the meeting place between God and man.

In a profound sense, he would fulfill within himself the function of the temple. When speaking of the temple one time, you may remember this in John chapter two, Jesus said to the religious people, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." And John adds a little editorial comment there: he was speaking about the temple of his body. Through this king, the Lord brings access to his presence. He did so through Great King Solomon. He would do so in a deeper and greater and more profound measure through the greater king who was to come.

And in the Gospel, the invitation is there through Jesus: come near to God. If you're far off, come into his very presence through faith in his Son. And as we know him and as we trust him, here is the wonder of wonder, friends: you and I have access. Not to some power broker or political operative. No, wonder of wonders, privilege beyond all privilege, we have access to the throne room of the God of heaven and earth. We have access.

Steve Hiller: You're listening to Encounter the Truth with Jonathan Griffiths, and a message called "The King Who Intercedes," part of our series "Days of Glory," where we're looking at the book of First Kings. Today focusing in on chapter eight. Well, you can tell that being in chapter eight, we've already had a few broadcasts looking at this book of First Kings. So if you've missed any of those, you can find them online. Listen at our website; just come to encounterthetruth.org. You can stream the program or download an MP3 for free. Again, that's at encounterthetruth.org. Let's get back to the message. Here is Jonathan.

Jonathan Griffiths: Next, through the Lord's king, his people have intercession. If Solomon's building work marks the height of his ingenuity and his practical ability, his prayer in these verses marks the height of his spiritual life and leadership. Having acknowledged the wonder of the fact that God has condescended to dwell among his people, notice how Solomon's prayer continues, verse 28. "Yet have regard to the prayer of your servant and to his plea, O Lord my God, listening to the cry and to the prayer that your servant prays before you this day, that your eyes may be open night and day toward this house, the place of which you have said, 'My name shall be there,' that you may listen to the prayer that your servant offers toward this place. And listen to the plea of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place. And listen in heaven, your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive."

Then down to verse 33. "When your people Israel are defeated before the enemy because they've sinned against you, and if they turn again to you and acknowledge your name and pray and plead with you in this house, then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them again to the land that you gave to their fathers." Again and again within this prayer, which we won't have time to parse line by line, but again and again Solomon acknowledges the reality of sin. He makes it plain. Verse 46: "For there is no one who does not sin." He's realistic about that. And he asks again that if there is repentance of heart, the Lord might show covenant faithfulness and forgive the people their sins.

It is a beautiful prayer of intercession for the people by their king. And for Israel, having a king who was powerful and rich and impressive on the world stage and all the rest, that was a very nice thing. It was a boost for the nation. But having a king who was concerned for their spiritual welfare, who knew the God of the covenant, who would stand before the people and before the Lord and ask the Lord to show his covenant grace and mercy to a sinful but repentant people—that was the greatest benefit that Solomon could ever bring.

Now, it's sobering to know and recognize the fact that the conditions, the preconditions of Solomon's prayer, would soon enough not be found in Israel. The Lord is always ready to forgive when there's true repentance of heart. But when there is obstinance of heart, an unwillingness to turn from sin—well, that's another matter. I'm just reading through in my own readings the prophet Jeremiah at the present time. And Jeremiah comes some years down the track from this period in history, and I'm in the midst of a rather grim section where the Lord is making it clear that the door of opportunity for repentance for Israel is now closing. The Babylonians will come. The city will be sacked. The temple will be destroyed.

And it's a warning to us. It's possible for a people who have known the blessing of God, who have seen some good days, to harden their hearts toward the Lord and to shut out his grace in their lives. But Solomon's prayer is a gift to his people. He prays covenant blessing over them. He calls upon the Lord to extend his promised grace to his people. And more than any other protection or gift that this king could give to his subjects, this is the greatest gift, I think, that he could ever give. It's a high point for Solomon, but as with so much in his reign, he is a placeholder.

And he is a pointer to an even greater king who would come. Jesus himself acknowledges the greatness of Solomon, but he makes it clear: one greater than Solomon is here. Jesus says that, and he's speaking of himself. The Lord Jesus, who was crucified for our sin and rose again, he ascended on high and he's seated at the right hand of God. And at the heart of what Jesus is doing now in heaven is interceding for his people. Hebrews 7:25, let me just remind us: "Jesus is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them."

First John 2 and verse one: "My little children, I'm writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." The great Son of God, greater even than Great King Solomon, the divine Son, he pleads our case in heaven. He claims the covenant promises of God on our behalf. He represents us before the judge. He makes the unanswerable, watertight case for our forgiveness. Perhaps you've been in a situation, I don't know, where you've needed someone to advocate for you. You call upon your MP to advocate for you before the government. You need a lawyer to plead your case in court. You need a teacher to stand up for you during a difficult time at school. And it's a desperate thing if you cannot find an advocate, if no one will take up your cause.

Well, in Solomon, the people of God of old had an advocate, an intercessor. And what a blessing that was for them, what a precious thing. In the Lord Jesus Christ, you and I, if we belong to him, we have an advocate. We have a covenant intercessor who pleads our case in heaven above. Just imagine with me what it must have been like for the people of God, the people of Israel gathered before Solomon, gathered before the imposing and glorious house of the Lord, to hear their king pray for them in this way.

No doubt some would have come to see this new temple with a sense of fear, actually, and a sense of foreboding, knowing that the sin in their lives rendered them unworthy of the presence of God. Knowing that their guilt before this King of Glory was great, and the grandeur of the building and the sense of holiness that it depicted, it could have only reinforced that sense within the heart. But then to hear their magnificent king pray for their forgiveness, to claim the promises of God on their behalf—what a powerfully comforting and strength-giving thing that must have been.

Some of us will gather here in this place today so aware of our sin. So aware that if those around us knew the full extent of our guilt, they might be quite appalled. We might find physical distancing increasing just a little bit if they knew what was within. But how wonderful to gather in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, as we do. To gather in the presence of the King of Kings, and to know that even now he intercedes before the Father for us above. Through the Lord's king, the people have intercession. The intercession they need, intercession offered by their king before the Lord on their behalf. What a privilege. What a beautiful thing. What a gift.

Steve Hiller: Jonathan Griffiths here on Encounter the Truth, and a message called "The King Who Intercedes," part of our series "Days of Glory." And if you missed any part of the broadcast, you can always come and listen online. Our website address is encounterthetruth.org. That's encounterthetruth.org. Well, Encounter the Truth is a listener-supported ministry; that's exactly what it sounds like. We do depend on your generosity to keep this program going. And as you give a gift of any amount this month, we want to say thank you by sending you a book that Jonathan has picked out. It's written by Tim Keller, called "The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness." And Jonathan, why'd you pick this book?

Jonathan Griffiths: Well, Tim's really tapping into an issue which I think is huge for so many of us, and I believe will be huge for so many of you who are tuning into the program today. And the issue is this: where do I find my self-worth? Where do I find my own value? How do I construct my identity? And the world, of course, has all kinds of answers to that question, many of which are profoundly unhelpful. We end up with either an inflated view of ourselves or a very low view of ourselves, which can be terribly damaging. But we build that view of ourselves based on our own accomplishments.

But the Gospel offers us something profoundly different, and Tim really opens that up in this book. It offers us the opportunity to forget ourselves and to enjoy the freedom of self-forgetfulness as we stake our identity on the work and person of Jesus Christ. As we entrust ourselves to him, we find that he is our all in all.

Steve Hiller: Well, we want to send you a copy of this book, "The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness," as our way of saying thank you for financially supporting Encounter the Truth this month. You can call and give a gift over the phone. The number is 1-833-99-TRUTH. That's 1-833-998-7884. Or the website is encounterthetruth.org. You can also write us at Encounter the Truth, 2176 Prince of Wales Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, K2E 0A1. Or in the US, at Encounter the Truth, 215 North Arlington Heights Road, number 102, Arlington Heights, Illinois, 60004. For Jonathan Griffiths, I'm Steve Hiller. Thanks for listening, and I hope you'll join us next time.