The sermon on Sunday 23 August 2015 from Rev. Graham Crawford: 

Over the last few weeks, in our Old Testament scriptures, we have been building and building to the climax of Solomon’s temple, somewhere permanent for the Ark of the Covenant, and as a result, God, will dwell.

From the joyful procession of David bringing the Ark home up until this point, it has all been building up to this when the temple is completed and finally dedicated to God.

This is one of the most important passages in all of the Jewish writings, for the Temple – and their beliefs concerning the temple – in many ways defines the Jewish people from this point on. The fact that an Islamic mosque now sits on that site is also one of the causes of all the unrest in the Middle east. So it is important to understand this Temple and the worship therein for us to understand much modern conflict while asking ourselves questions about our own place of worship as well as the place of worship in our lives.

The importance of the Temple in Old Testament times

So let us hear the words from 1 Kings:

8 Then King Solomon summoned into his presence at Jerusalem the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes and the chiefs of the Israelite families, to bring up the ark of the Lord’s covenant from Zion, the City of David.
6 The priests then brought the ark of the Lord’s covenant to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim.
10 When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the Lord. 11 And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled his temple.
22 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven 23 and said:
“Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below—you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way. 24 You have kept your promise to your servant David my father; with your mouth you have promised and with your hand you have fulfilled it—as it is today.
25 “Now Lord, the God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father the promises you made to him when you said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your descendants are careful in all they do to walk before me faithfully as you have done.’ 26 And now, God of Israel, let your word that you promised your servant David my father come true.
27 “But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built! 28 Yet give attention to your servant’s prayer and his plea for mercy, Lord my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day. 29 May your eyes be open toward this temple night and day, this place of which you said, ‘My Name shall be there,’ so that you will hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place. 30 Hear the supplication of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive.
41 “As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your name— 42 for they will hear of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm—when they come and pray toward this temple, 43 then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears your Name.

There is so much wonderful symbolism in this passage.

From the cloud filling the temple, expressing God’s great pleasure in the fact that it had been built, to the seven times Solomon asks God to be attentive. Seven, of course, denotes completeness and the completeness includes neighbours, the people, the heavens, the land, the foreign worshiper, the enemy and the exiled people. In other words, every living thing.

The context is enlarged beyond the bounds of Solomon’s own people and one might also suggest that the boundaries are not just geographical but chronological, as there is mention of exiles. Wherever and whoever they are, everyone is enjoined to pray in or to the Temple and God will hear. There is a real sense of the blessing on Abraham being extended to the whole of the earth being made real by this building.

As Jesus himself quoted, when clearing the money changers out of a later version of the Temple, my temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations.

The reason that it is a house of prayer for all the nations is given in verse 29 when Solomon prays:

29 May your eyes be open toward this temple night and day, this place of which you said, ‘My Name shall be there,’ so that you will hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place.

To say that God’s name will dwell there is to not only say that God is there but to say that there is access to God there.

This belief that you can gain special access to God, that your prayers will be more effective if prayed within the Temple of course had dramatic effects on the people, particularly during those times in history when the Temple was destroyed.

It also explains why in Psalm 84 the Psalmist writes:

How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
2 I long, yes, I faint with longingto enter the courts of the Lord.

It explains the anguish of the exile separated from the Temple and the reverence towards the wailing wall in Jerusalem today, the one piece of this temple that still stands.

The modern view: prayer is effective anywhere

We do not continue that belief in the church today.

Oh, sometimes I will have someone come to my door asking if they can come into the church to pray. But, usually, they are of a high church persuasion, as you can tell when they get down on their knees rather than just sitting in the pews.

We believe that there is just as much validity and power in prayers said in your home, in your work, even in your car, as in the church.

This is a good thing, in many ways, as it makes it easier for us to have times of private prayer but it also does mean that there is a more casual approach to church and church attendance. I do not hear many people claiming that they “faint with longing” to enter St. James.

As is so often the case, what should be a freedom to worship more frequently becomes a licence to avoid worship when it really does not suit. This is a part of the spiritual battle we all face.

The reality of spiritual warfare

Ephesians, chapter 6, our New Testament passage today, is all about the reality of spiritual warfare.

This emphasis on spiritual warfare might seem rather overstated to some people. Indeed, Christians do need to be careful about drawing boundaries when it comes to those who are ‘in’ and those who are ‘out’. Yet, as one commentator asked: “What is it like to work or live in conditions that truly dehumanise?” As another asked pointedly in a sermon: “Have you ever seen a market force?” And these forces do dehumanise. Perhaps there is more spiritual warfare than many of us would like to imagine.

Struggle is a part of life and is crucial to faith development. Oftentimes with reference to the resurrection, the image of the butterfly struggling to escape the chrysalis is used. Yet perhaps the development of faith is precisely that: a constant working and struggling which consistently manifests itself in something of beauty and delicacy.

The Armour of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

We all do face spiritual battles every day.

For some, it might be the battle between the pillow and the church on a Sunday morning. For others, it might be how to work in an ethical manner given the demonic market forces that seek to dehumanise human lives and efforts. For yet others, it may be to do with a desire and a temptation from alcoholism to pornography: the list of temptations against which there are everyday battles within our own congregation is long and serious.

And yet, in spite of the seriousness of the battles, in spite of the number of private battles going on, for the most part they remain private. We just don’t talk about it. We don’t name the battles which means that the force we are fighting still has power, still controls us.

One of the most powerful things we can do is to gain the trust of a mentor, someone with whom we can name and share our own spiritual battle. That is why AA is so effective. The first thing you do is say: “My name is…. And I am an alcoholic.”

Once you name the temptation, once you publicly pronounce the battle you are facing, you immediately gain the high ground and the upper hand. Just as the name of God dwelling in the Temple denotes access to God, so naming your spiritual battle gives you the access to defeat the demon that would see you fall.

I know, for many of you, that goes against the grain. You like your faith and your religion to be a very private matter. You are reluctant to share in Bible study groups and have times of prayer, but I believe that in this reluctance dwells the forces that limit the effectiveness of this church. In this reluctance to face the spiritual battle alongside others gives the temptations a power over us. Why is it, do you think Jesus said that wherever two or three are gathered in my name there I will be also? Why is it that he said that if two or three ask for something in his name he will grant it? There is power in numbers. There is power in naming and shaming, with others, the temptations we face.

Lessons from Bannockburn

Last Sunday afternoon we took Jamie and his friend Chris to Bannockburn. Chris had been studying Scottish history at The Citadel last year and was very keen to see it. One of the keys to the Scottish success over those two days were the spearmen with their fifteen foot long spears.

The Scots’ tried and tested method of deploying spearmen was to arrange them into a schiltron: a densely packed and deadly mass of 500-1,500 men presenting a forest of spears to the enemy. It was designed as a defensive strategy, capable of absorbing the force of a cavalry charge and hacking away at its strength. One spearman was useless. A horseman could easily swerve around the spear, which was not easily manoeuvred, and defeat the spearman, but in a line three or four deep and tens if not hundreds across, they were virtually impenetrable by a cavalry charge.

The same can be true for us. If we move forward together, facing the enemy, naming the forces that oppose the Kingdom of God praying for the Lord’s help and guidance we too can defeat the demonic powers that wish to see this and every other church fail. We do not believe you have to do this in the church. You can gather two or three, four or five in your house. You can study together and you can pray together.

Small group study helps in the spiritual battle

Starting in September, I will produce a study guide.

It will give you a suggested passage of scripture and a few questions to get you started, discussing and learning from the passage.

Every week in the bulletin will be the passage and the questions for that week. You can then get together with a few friends in your house at a time and day that will suit you or come to the Session Room for 7.30 on a Wednesday evening where I will lead a group. It is up to you.

For too long we have been losing the spiritual battle for the soul of this church. It is time to regain lost ground and move forward together in strength. However, the first step is for you to name the battle that is the hardest for you. I am therefore going to lead a time of prayer and in that time I want you to name in your heart your own battle then I would urge you to share your struggle with someone. You can write it on the tear off part of your bulletin. Don’t sign it. Just write down your own battle and put it in the collection bag with your offering. I will then collect the papers and I will use them in my own prayer times when praying for you, that you will gain the upper hand in your own personal battles.

So let us pray:-

Heavenly father. In our so sophisticated world we do not think too often of the spiritual battles we face, the temptations we battle every day. Yet these battles are real, these battles do exist and so we seek your strength now as we name our own battles in the silence. Help us to gain power over these temptations by naming them, writing them down, and submitting them for prayer. Strengthen us now, O Lord, in the power of your Spirit, Amen.