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Not Just A Building - Your Daily Forward Devotional

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The Resurrection and the Life

The Resurrection and the Life

The Way

The Way

The True Vine

The True Vine

Getting Started...

Getting Started...

The Good Shepherd

  • May 31, 2023

The Good Shepherd

The Door

  • May 30, 2023

The Door

The Bread and the Light

  • May 29, 2023

The Bread and the Light

John Saw It All

  • May 27, 2023

John Saw It All

Worry About Yourself

  • May 26, 2023

Worry About Yourself

Count the Cost

  • May 25, 2023

Count the Cost

Do You Love God?

  • May 24, 2023

Do You Love God?

Jump All In

  • May 23, 2023

Jump All In

Gone Fishing Again

  • May 22, 2023

Gone Fishing Again

You May Have Life In His Name

  • May 20, 2023

You May Have Life In His Name

The Disciple Who Believed

  • May 19, 2023

The Disciple Who Believed

The Disciple Who Doubted

  • May 18, 2023

The Disciple Who Doubted

APRIL - JUNE 2023
January - March 2023
October - December 2022
July - September 2022
April - June 2022

The Return of Christ

  • Jun 30, 2022

The Return of Christ

Just Jesus

  • Jun 29, 2022

Just Jesus

Joy In Christ

  • Jun 28, 2022

Joy In Christ

Privileges and Practices for Christians

  • Jun 27, 2022

Privileges and Practices for Christians

Grace and Freedom

  • Jun 25, 2022

Grace and Freedom

So We Do Not Lose Heart

  • Jun 24, 2022

So We Do Not Lose Heart

Fatherly Discipline

  • Jun 23, 2022

Fatherly Discipline

The Righteous Shall Live By Faith

  • Jun 22, 2022

The Righteous Shall Live By Faith

Witnesses To the End of The Earth

  • Jun 21, 2022

Witnesses To the End of The Earth

God in The Flesh

  • Jun 20, 2022

God in The Flesh

The Great Physician

  • Jun 18, 2022

The Great Physician

Service and Sacrifice

  • Jun 17, 2022

Service and Sacrifice

The Long-Awaited King of the Jews

  • Jun 16, 2022

The Long-Awaited King of the Jews

Is It Even Worth It?

  • Jun 15, 2022

Is It Even Worth It?

A Future Perspective

  • Jun 14, 2022

A Future Perspective

Misplaced Priorities

  • Jun 13, 2022

Misplaced Priorities

Judgment and Joy

  • Jun 11, 2022

Judgment and Joy

The Righteous Will Live By Faith

  • Jun 10, 2022

The Righteous Will Live By Faith

Pride Goes Before Destruction

  • Jun 9, 2022

Pride Goes Before Destruction

Does God Care About Justice?

  • Jun 8, 2022

Does God Care About Justice?

That All Should Be Saved

  • Jun 7, 2022

That All Should Be Saved

A Battle Between Brothers

  • Jun 6, 2022

A Battle Between Brothers

The Cold Hard Truth

  • Jun 4, 2022

The Cold Hard Truth

Just You Wait

  • Jun 3, 2022

Just You Wait

Idolatry Vs. Adultery

  • Jun 2, 2022

Idolatry Vs. Adultery

The Lord Reigns Supreme

  • Jun 1, 2022

The Lord Reigns Supreme

Restored to Glory

  • May 31, 2022

Restored to Glory

The Saddest Chapter In The Book

  • May 30, 2022

The Saddest Chapter In The Book

The Bearer of Bad News

  • May 28, 2022

The Bearer of Bad News

Salvation Is of The Lord

  • May 27, 2022

Salvation Is of The Lord

God’s Plan

  • May 26, 2022

God’s Plan

What’s the Point?

  • May 25, 2022

What’s the Point?

Read the Instructions

  • May 24, 2022

Read the Instructions

A Real Relationship

  • May 23, 2022

A Real Relationship

Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

  • May 21, 2022

Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

God Behind the Scenes

  • May 20, 2022

God Behind the Scenes

Miraculous Reconstruction

  • May 19, 2022

Miraculous Reconstruction

Coming Home

  • May 18, 2022

Coming Home

Not Just A Building

  • May 17, 2022

Not Just A Building

The Family of God

  • May 16, 2022

The Family of God

Discipline and Destruction

  • May 14, 2022

Discipline and Destruction

A Heart and Kingdom Divided

  • May 13, 2022

A Heart and Kingdom Divided

The Greatest King Ever

  • May 12, 2022

The Greatest King Ever

No King But God?

  • May 11, 2022

No King But God?

A Love That Redeems

  • May 10, 2022

A Love That Redeems

Rebel, Rescue, Repeat

  • May 9, 2022

Rebel, Rescue, Repeat

A Literal Scarlet Thread

  • May 7, 2022

A Literal Scarlet Thread

He’s Faithful, So Be Faithful

  • May 6, 2022

He’s Faithful, So Be Faithful

Why Did It Take So Long?

  • May 5, 2022

Why Did It Take So Long?

Holy as He Is Holy

  • May 4, 2022

Holy as He Is Holy

Passed Over

  • May 3, 2022

Passed Over

The Beginning of Redemption

  • May 2, 2022

The Beginning of Redemption

The Lord Is Near

  • Apr 30, 2022

The Lord Is Near

I’ll Be Happy When…

  • Apr 29, 2022

I’ll Be Happy When…

Working Hard or Hardly Working?

  • Apr 28, 2022

Working Hard or Hardly Working?

You Can’t Hide a Lie

  • Apr 27, 2022

You Can’t Hide a Lie

The Sin Underneath All Others

  • Apr 26, 2022

The Sin Underneath All Others

Play the Long Game

  • Apr 25, 2022

Play the Long Game

Where Does Joy Come From?

  • Apr 23, 2022

Where Does Joy Come From?

Well Worth the Wait

  • Apr 22, 2022

Well Worth the Wait

Getting to Know God

  • Apr 21, 2022

Getting to Know God

Why Don’t We Just Give Up?

  • Apr 20, 2022

Why Don’t We Just Give Up?

Take Heart, He’s With You

  • Apr 19, 2022

Take Heart, He’s With You

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

  • Apr 18, 2022

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

What Are You Afraid Of?

  • Apr 16, 2022

What Are You Afraid Of?

Nothing Can Separate Us

  • Apr 15, 2022

Nothing Can Separate Us

What Has God Forgiven You For?

  • Apr 14, 2022

What Has God Forgiven You For?

But by the Grace Of God

  • Apr 13, 2022

But by the Grace Of God

A Healthy Swap

  • Apr 12, 2022

A Healthy Swap

Tell Yourself the Truth

  • Apr 11, 2022

Tell Yourself the Truth

He Hears You

  • Apr 9, 2022

He Hears You

Listen and Learn

  • Apr 8, 2022

Listen and Learn

Do You Need to Put Up Some Walls?

  • Apr 7, 2022

Do You Need to Put Up Some Walls?

Keep Your Cool

  • Apr 6, 2022

Keep Your Cool

Great Is His Faithfulness

  • Apr 5, 2022

Great Is His Faithfulness

Move on to the Meat

  • Apr 4, 2022

Move on to the Meat

Saving Faith Works

  • Apr 2, 2022

Saving Faith Works

Is Other People’s Faith Your Business?

  • Apr 1, 2022

Is Other People’s Faith Your Business?

January - March 2022
October - December 2021
July - September 2021
April - June 2021
January - March 2021
October - December 2020
July - September 2020
April - June 2020
January - March 2020
backtothebiblebttb2
Back to the BibleMay 17, 2022 12:00 am GMT

Not Just A Building

 

May 17

 

Read 2 Chronicles 7:1-3 (ESV)

As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD filled the LORD’s house. When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the LORD on the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying, “For he is good, for this steadfast love endures forever.”

 

Reflect

Why was the temple so significant to the Israelites?

 

The church isn’t a building. You’ve probably heard this truth emphasized by pastors, including myself, before. The church is the body of Christ. It is believers in Jesus Christ joined together in Him as one family. While going to church is a very important spiritual discipline, we know that our church buildings are just the place where we gather together as believers to worship Him. God doesn’t physically live in any particular church.  Given that, as we read through the Old Testament, especially books like 2 Chronicles that put so much emphasis on the importance of the temple building, we may be somewhat confused. Why was the temple so important to the people of Israel?

 

The book of 2 Chronicles, like 1 Chronicles, was written by Ezra, the priest, and retells aspects of the history of God’s chosen people to a remnant of Jews returning from exile. The books were originally joined together as one book. It opens with the 40-year reign of King Solomon from 971-931 B.C. Remember, King David had wanted to build the temple, but in 1 Chronicles 17, the Lord had told him that his son would be the one to build the temple instead. 1 Chronicles 22:8-9 tells us the reason why. God wanted a “man of rest” to build the temple rather than a warrior who had blood on his hands. David had been a great warrior king, but God promised that his son would be king during a time of peace. Thus, his son, Solomon, would be the king to build the temple of God. Completing the construction of the temple and dedicating it to the Lord is the crowning accomplishment of Solomon’s reign and is the major event discussed in the first half of 2 Chronicles.

 

After recording Solomon’s death, the focus shifts to the division of the kingdom. 2 Chronicles mostly ignores the northern kingdom, Israel, because of its apostasy. Instead, it focuses on the nation of Judah, especially the “good kings” like Asa, Jehoshaphat, Joash, Hezekiah, and Josiah who sought to follow in the footsteps of King David and restore worship in the temple to the Lord their God. Their history had proven that whenever they were walking in obedience to God, they were blessed and victorious. But whenever they forsook the Lord and broke their covenant with Him, He allowed them to be disciplined and removed His blessings from them.

 

In 2 Chronicles 11:13-17, we read that Jeroboam, the king of Israel, instituted pagan, cult worship and drove out the priests of the Lord. So, many priests and Levites in the northern tribes left their homes and went to Judah so that they could worship the Lord in his holy temple. They understood that the temple was not just a building. The temple was the place where God’s presence dwelled among them. When Solomon had dedicated the temple to the Lord and placed the Ark of the Covenant in the Most Holy Place, God’s glory dramatically filled the temple in the forms of cloud and fire from heaven (2 Chronicles 5-7).

 

Ezra likely focused on these aspects of the Israelites’ history because he wanted the returned exiles to remember that they were only as strong and as unified as they were obedient to worshiping the Lord in His temple, in the way that He commanded. In 2 Chronicles 36, the last chapter, Ezra recorded the fall of Judah to Babylon—the ultimate reminder to the returned exiles that apostasy leads to ruin and punishment. Finally, he ended the book with the decree of King Cyrus of Persia that God’s people should return to Judah and rebuild the temple of the Lord. Ezra was urging the people he had led back home to Judah to worship the Lord in His new temple. God had faithfully ensured that the line of David, the temple, and the priesthood were preserved and restored.

 

Friends, the temple is where we see the Scarlet Thread of redemption. The temple is a foreshadowing of Christ and the body of Christ, His church. The temple was so important to the Jews because that was where God’s presence dwelled. It was the place where they could go to worship Him. But now, in 1 Corinthians 3:16, Paul said of the church, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” The body of Christ, His church, is made up of those of us who are believers in Jesus Christ. The temple of God isn’t a physical building anymore. It is a spiritual temple (1 Peter 2:5) and the Holy Spirit dwells in us!

 

Pray

Lord, it is so amazing to me how You worked out Your plan of salvation for Your people. From the beginning, You were making a way to restore our relationship with You so that we could once again live with You. Help me to faithfully worship You and represent You well to the world around me. Amen.

 

~ Pastor Nat Crawford

 

 

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D
David
a year ago
Heavenly Father, You are worthy of all of my worship and adoration, and I worship You in Spirit and in truth. As You created me for worship, I draw close to You through Jesus Christ, my Saviour, who loved the church and gave His life for her.
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S
Senita
a year ago
Father I thank You for always making a way out of no way. For always being near when we need You. We as Your children do not have to be in a building to worship You and feel Your presence. With this pandemic we have worshiped and felt Your presence without being inside the church building. There is no stopping Your children of believers. Thank You Father. I pray this prayer and thank You in the Righteous name of Christ Jesus Amen 🙏🏼
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T
theshepherdsmaiden
a year ago
Right now there is no physical temple in Israel, but the Jews want to rebuild their temple. This would be the third temple of Solomon. Once that happens, we should see more End Times events occurring. Until that temple is rebuilt and until the Gospel is preached throughout all the nations, we still have a ways to go before the major events in Revelation happen.
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R
ronnie.spraggins59
a year ago
Hallelujah, amen 🙏
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T
Tim
a year ago
May the Spirit work through those who believe in Christ. May others come to Him. Love one another.
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