Tips for Teaching This Week’s Session of The Gospel Project for Adults

Listen to this week’s leader training podcast with Y Bonesteele, team leader for The Gospel Project for Adults, for a summary and guidance in leading your group.

This week’s additional resources for study and preparation:

• Article: “Year 1, Week 45, Day 3 Bible Reading Observations” by Joseph Braden
• Article: “Solomon’s Prayer” by Nick Batzig
• Sermon: “Unless the Lord Builds the House . . . ” by Nick Clevely
• Sermon: “The Ark, the Covenant, and the Glory” by Austin Walker

Transcript of Leader Training Podcast:

Hi, this is Y Bonesteele, team leader of The Gospel Project for Adults. Welcome to another Leader Training podcast. Today we are in Unit 12, Session 2, Work with Wisdom, with the core passage of: 1 Kings 6:8-13 and 8:3-11; and with the key concept of: God desires to dwell with His people.

Last week, we saw God giving Solomon wisdom and much more. He was one of the wisest men of his time. And as promised, he was the one to build God’s temple. Starting in 1 Kings 6:1, “Solomon began to build the temple for the Lord in the four hundred eightieth year after the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of his reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month.” The writer counted the number of years from the time the Israelites left Egypt to the beginning of building the temple. This wasn’t on accident. He was alluding to the promise that God gave them to give them a land. Up to now, the tabernacle moved and had no permanence. With the temple, the promise of permanence in the land would be achieved.

From there, the writer describes the dimensions and construction of the temple, the portico, the windows, and the chambers. And “The temple’s construction used finished stones cut at the quarry so that no hammer, chisel, or any iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built” in verse 7. To keep the reverence needed in building the temple, certain sounds was limited. This leads us to our core passage.

Additional details about the temple are given. Verse 8 tells us the temple was three stories. Solomon also knew to line the walls with cedar as it was resistant to moisture, pests, and decay, making it durable and long-lasting. These details remind us that Solomon’s wisdom was poured into the temple and it was built with reverence.

How might believers today honor the Lord through the details of their obedience and worship? 2 Corinthians 10:5 states, “we take every thought captive to obey Christ” which is one way we honor the Lord through the details. Every thought, every moment, every choice should intentionally honor God. Our words, for instance, is an area of our lives that we can make a change to honor God more, in encouraging others, building up instead of down, and speaking words of wisdom and discernment.

In verse 11 and 12, then, God came to Solomon and told him: “As for this temple you are building—if you walk in my statutes, observe my ordinances, and keep all my commands by walking in them, I will fulfill my promise to you, which I made to your father David.” God reminded Solomon of the conditional statement that He had told the Israelites continually as part of His covenant with them. Remember that a covenant is a partnership with conditions on both sides. God was reminding Solomon, if you walk in my ways, keeping my commands, then God would fulfill His promise: “I will dwell among the Israelites and not abandon my people” in verse 13. The Gospel Connection reminds us: God has always desired to dwell with His people. And with Jesus, Immanuel, God with us, He dwelt with humanity in human form to be a substitute for the penalty of sin. He dwells with us still through the presence of the Holy Spirit in us.

How does our obedience relate to our experience of God’s presence in our lives? Today as believers, God’s presence is always with us. But whether we obey or not can help or hinder our experience of His presence in our lives. When we are following in His ways and leaning into Him, we will have a fuller experience of His presence. James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” And in reverse, when we don’t follow His commands and we stray from God, we create barriers in that experience of His presence.

Following that first passage then, we see verse 14 state, “So Solomon built the house and finished it.” The writer continued in describing the temple, the place where God would dwell, through the rest of chapter 6. In chapter 7 then, we see a description of Solomon building his palace and more construction of the temple furnishings.

When we get to chapter 8 then, it was time to dedicate the temple. Verses 1 and 2 give us a little context, although they’re not part of our focal passage. Verse 1 tells us that Solomon assembled the people in Jerusalem to bring the ark from the city of David, Zion. Growing up, I always thought the city of David was Jerusalem, but it actually is a small portion of the bigger city of Jerusalem. Solomon brought the ark from that portion of town to the new location of the temple in Jerusalem. And they assembled “in the month of Ethanim, which is the seventh month, at the festival,” meaning they assembled during the Feast of Shelters (also called the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles). This holiday was celebrated as a remembrance of God delivering the Israelites from Egypt and His provision for them during the wanderings. It was also during harvest time so another reminder of God’s provision. Solomon was probably strategic in choosing this time to dedicate the temple as the people were already gathered and the Israelites could continue to remember God’s provision throughout their life and history as His people.

So as all the men of Israel were assembled for this dedication, the priests picked up the ark as Solomon and others gave offerings. And the priests brought the ark to its place in the inner sanctuary, the most holy place, where the wings of the cherubim covered the ark. This is in reference to 1 Kings 6:23-28, the large cherubim that Solomon built for the inner sanctuary, beyond the wings that were already built on the ark. Here in the inner sanctuary, two large cherubim wings covered the ark of the covenant, and the walls were covered with engravings of more cherubim and palm trees and flowers as seen in 1 Kings 6:29. And it was all overlaid in gold. Now though God allowed Solomon to build the temple, I wonder if He would have designed it as lavishly as Solomon did. David and Solomon’s plans for the temple, however, reflected their desire to honor God. We are reminded then that the poles of the ark were very long to keep those carrying it from the danger of dishonoring it and falling into judgment. And inside the ark was Moses’ tablets, another reminder of God rescuing His people and giving them commands to live successfully by.

And when the priest left the temple, a cloud filled the temple for the glory of the Lord filled it. God’s presence was with the ark and with the temple, as it was with the tabernacle.

For us today, how has the gospel of Jesus opened up access to the presence of the Lord? Because of Christ, we no longer need priests to be a representative for us before God. We have direct access as the veil that separated the Holy of Holies was torn. Christ’s sacrifice has made us a royal priesthood with full access.

The temple may seem irrelevant for us today, but 1 Corinthians reminds us: “16 Don’t you yourselves know that you are God’s temple and that the Spirit of God lives in you? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is holy, and that is what you are.” 6:19-20 continues this sentiment: “Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought at a price. So glorify God with your body.” The temple was a place of worship and honor and the place that God’s manifest presence resided. And so today too, we treat our bodies as sacred and holy, taking care of it in ourselves and in others, knowing that for believers, God resides in us. Christ lives in us and the Holy Spirit is in us. These are theological truths presented in the Theological Connection as well.

Going into the Group Experience then, start with the icebreaker survey. If you find that your group has young or non-believers, feel free to change the question to: Where is a place you tend to find a sense of peace or calmness? Usually, that is where we can sense God the most. Maybe in a garden or at the beach or even in a quiet space in our house. Your group will have varying answers. God can speak to us anywhere but usually in the quiet and calm, we’re able to hear Him better. For those of us who are believers, the Holy Spirit is present in us, but sometimes we need to remove barriers to experience His presence better.

Continue through the Context and Recap, looking at the details of the five concepts mentioned.

Then head into the Group Activity on page 129 of the Leader Guide and page 104 of the Personal Study Guide. Recreate the chart and have someone read 1 Kings 6:8-13. Discuss King Solomon’s role in creating a dwelling place for God. Some answers may include: Solomon built the temple with honor and reverence in mind for the Lord. He was meticulous in detail for he knew it would be a dwelling place for God, and he wanted God to have the best of the best. He brought the best wood that would be long-lasting, and he was mindful to make sure the ark rested under the wings of the cherubim he constructed earlier, showing further reverence and honor for God’s resting place.

Then continue with someone reading 1 Kings 8:3-11. The work of the priests included bringing the ark, the tent of meeting, and all the holy utensils. They also were part of offering the sacrifices as their duty, although Scripture doesn’t mention them directly in offering the sacrifices. Their duty was to make ready the space for the presence of God in the temple. And thus we, as a holy priesthood, seen in 1 Peter 2:9, are reminded that we too are to make ready, make space in our lives as our body is a temple, to have God dwell in us.

And the congregation of Israel, they watched this whole procession and joined with King Solomon in offering sacrifices. It was a time of reverence but also celebration. The ark had a permanent temple where God’s presence could dwell.

Continue following through the instructions to the question: “What would the temple be without God’s glory inhabiting it?” The temple would be nothing without God’s glory. In and of itself, the temple would just be an elaborate building, but nothing more. “What would God’s glory be without the temple?” God’s glory continues to be God’s glory even without the temple as it is today. He could reside in anything, and today, He resides in us because of the work of Christ. God didn’t need the temple, but it was a visual representation of where God could reside with His people, to remind them He is present and for them.

Then discuss: “If God desires to be with His people and beckons them through His Word, miracles of nature, the sacrifice of His Son, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and a promise to gather them to Himself for eternity, what must we do on our end to invite or maintain His presence with us?” We must merely accept and trust in Christ’s work to have His Spirit dwell in us. But when He doesn’t seem present or close, it’s more because we have drifted from Him, not the other way around. Thus, we still need to cultivate a close relationship with the Lord through prayer, trust, and obedience to keep that fellowship strong.

An optional exercise is marking a timeline as mentioned on page 130, showing how God has always desired to dwell with His people. You can start with the time in the garden of Eden, to the cloud and fire in rescuing the Israelites from Egypt, to the instructions of the Tabernacle, then to the Temple, then to Jesus, Immanuel, God with us, dwelling in human form, then to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, up to the new heaven and new earth. Those are the major moments described in Scripture of God’s desire to be present with His people.

If you point to Pack Item 11: The Temple, you can show how the temple thus points to Christ and the church in how it bears God’s name, hosts God’s presence, and is for God’s mission.  

Use the debrief questions: How do modern-day places of worship compare to the temple when it comes to the presence of God? Because of Christ and the indwelling of the Spirit, we know that we can worship God anywhere because the Spirit is within us. We know that God doesn’t need a luxurious place, in terms of a building, to dwell, for He dwells in us, but we still must approach Him with reverence.

And think about a time when you witnessed God’s glory. What circumstances led to recognizing God’s presence? Answers will vary here from your group’s personal experiences. It could be simple as a sunset or something elaborate as answered prayers in health or finances.

Summarize and head into the Hands question if time is limited. What steps will you take this week to overcome temptations that keep you from experiencing God’s glorious presence? Maybe the temptation of busyness or distractions prevent you from having a time with God to experience His presence. Maybe you can schedule time in your calendar to go in nature or sit in a quiet part of your house to just pray or be with God uninterrupted.

Go through Next Steps, prayer requests, and pray through Psalm 84:10-12 if time permits, remembering that “Better a day in [God’s] courts than a thousand anywhere else.”

Hey, thanks again for joining me on another Leader Training podcast. Write me at [email protected] and hope you have a great group time!