God's Place of Meeting and Mercy
by Rev. Kirby Williams
Understanding what the idea of the Temple means to God and why He would abandon it-- both then and now.
Text: Luke 21:5-6
Date: 04/27/2025, the Combined service.
Series: "Luke: Thy Kingdom Come" Part 190
Description:
For the third time in Luke's Gospel, Jesus predicts the downfall of Jerusalem. This time His focus is on the Temple-- one of the architectural wonders of the ancient world. When someone pointed out its beauty, Jesus responded with the stunning prophesy that every stone of the majestic compound would be torn down. The burning question in the mind of faithful Jews ever since has been: "Why would God allow His own house to be destroyed?" We will answer that question by analyzing what the Temple meant to God and why its proper use was so important to Him. In doing so, we will trace the idea of the Temple organon throughout its history-- culminating in its consummation in Jesus Christ and His church. As we celebrate this "Temple of living stones", we will realize that even though Jesus will never forsake His church as a whole, He will remove His "lampstand" from those apostate churches that corrupt and pervert the intent of God's place of meeting and mercy. The question, then, for modern churches is: "Will we learn from history, or be doomed to repeat it?"
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I. Introduction
II. Exposition of the text, Luke 20:5-6.
A. Context, Luke 13:34-35, 19:41-46, 20:17.
B. God's house of mercy and meeting.
1. Focus on the Temple, vs. 5.
a. Setting the scene, Mark 13:1.
b. The magnificence of the Temple.
2. The prophecy of destruction.
a. Preface to prophecy.
b. A brief look at the destruction of the Temple, Mic. 3:11-12.
C. The organon of the Temple.
1. Looking at God's nature.
a. God loves those made in His image, Gen. 1:27; 1John 4:8; John 3:16; Ex. 20:3,5; Deut. 6:4-5.
b. God is holy, Lev. 19:2; 1John 1:5; Lev. 20:26; Deut. 32:4.
c. God is merciful, Ex. 34:6; Isa. 43:25; 1John 1:9.
d. The "Emmanuel Principle", Matt. 1:23; John 4:23.
e. The Great Dilemma.
2. Tracing the purpose of the Temple.
a. In the Garden of Eden.
i. Perfect harmony before the Fall.
ii. Disharmony after the Fall.
b. The Tent of Meeting, Gal. 3:10.
i. A place of meeting, Ex. 34:35.
ii. A place of mercy.
iii. The relationship restored.
c. Solomon's Temple, 2Sam. 7:2,6; 2Chr. 7:1.
d. Zerubbabel's Temple, Ezra 3:12.
e. Herod's Temple, John 2:20.
D. When God abandons His Temple.
1. The destruction of the Tabernacle, Psa. 78:60-61; 1Sam. 4:22.
2. The destruction of Solomon's Temple, 2Chr. 36:14-19; Jer. 12:7; Lam. 2:5.
3. The destruction of Herod's Temple.
E. The Consummation of the Temple Organon.
1. A new kind of Temple, John 4:19-24.
2. Jesus as the new Temple, John 2:18-22.
a. The Living Stone, Luke 2017-18; 1Pet. 2:4.
b. A Temple made of believers, 1Pet. 2:5; Eph. 2:20-22; Rom. 12:4-5; 1Cor. 6:19.
c. Held together by Christ, 1Cor. 12:27; Rev. 1:12-13.
3. The attributes of God fulfilled.
III. Application
A. The good news, Deut. 31:8; Rom. 8:38-39; John 10:28; Matt. 28:20.
B. The sobering news, Rev. 2:5.
IV. Conclusion
