Heroes of the Faith, Part 6Sample

God's Temple

Bible story: King Solomon - 1 Kings 2:1-4, 3:4-15, 4:29-34, 6:1, 6:37-38, 8:1-8:30

Theme Verse: 1 Corinthians 3:16

King David from last week wanted to honor God by building Him a magnificent temple, but because David was a warrior, God did not want him to build it. Instead, God promised that his heir would build it and fulfilled that promise twice. David’s son Solomon became the next king of Israel. One day he sacrificed a thousand offerings to God. James 4:8 says that when we come near to God, He comes near to us. That night, God told Solomon to ask for anything. Would you ask for a red sports car? Beautiful dresses? Instead, Solomon asked for wisdom to take good care of his people.

Wow! God was so impressed that He made Solomon the wisest man who ever lived and gave him riches and victory, too. Solomon built a huge stone temple with beautiful carvings inside. Imagine a golden room lit by gold candle stands bigger than a person. Solomon held a ceremony for 14 days with all Israel to dedicate the temple. They sacrificed 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep and goats. God’s glory then came into the temple like a thick dark cloud. After that, Solomon prayed, not for himself, but for God’s people.

That temple is gone now, and another one after that, but God has fulfilled his promise with a better temple. While on earth, Jesus said that He would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days. (John 2:19) He wasn’t talking about a physical one, but a spiritual one built through His own death and resurrection.

Can you see the new temple today? Yes, but it is not this church building. YOU (plural) are God’s temple! (Ephesians 2:19-22) We Christians are like building blocks. The Spirit of God lives inside of us, like the cloud at the temple dedication, and all of us together form a spiritual temple where God resides forever.

God is continuing to build it and make it beautiful and invites us to help Him. When you tell others about Jesus or help in church, you are helping to build it. It takes wisdom to help build God’s temple well. Solomon’s wisdom was so famous that the queen of Sheba came from far way just to hear him speak, but Jesus is greater than Solomon. (Matthew 12:42)

Jesus is the source of our wisdom and will give it to us when we ask Him. (James 1:5) When you tempt each other to sin, you build something ugly and weak. (1 Corinthians 3:10-15) When you encourage each other to be kind even to unkind people, you are building something beautiful. Jesus told us to love each other as He loved us. (John 13:34) Gold illustrates how beauty is in the way we treat others. Jesus said the temple makes the gold sacred. (Matthew 23:17) Non-believers may have kindness like gold, but only believing in Jesus Christ makes you part of His temple.

I will ask God to give me wisdom to help build His temple by loving others.

Questions:

1. In what ways can we take care of our bodies and souls?

2. Is it fun to be a Christian?

Application to Life:

Your homework is to encourage someone every day this week, especially someone who goes to a different church than your church. If you see someone do good, congratulate them. If you see another child who believes in Jesus doing something wrong, remind them in a kind way to do the right thing: do not say, “you are bad,” but instead say, “doing that does not please God. Maybe you can do this instead,” and suggest something good they can do. Bonus: read part of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7.